Ukraine Election: IRI and NDI Press Conference on Preliminary Observation Findings
WHO: The leaders of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) international election observation missions
WHAT: Release of statements on preliminary observation findings on Ukraine’s March 31, 2019, presidential election
WHEN: Monday, April 1. IRI at 16:00. NDI immediately following.
WHERE: Intercontinental Kyiv (2A Velyka Zhytomyrska Str.)
RSVP: Please register for the press conference online: English registration form, Ukrainian registration form. Please refer all questions to Morgan Martinez, mmartinez@iri.org, Mariam Halstian, mhalstian@ndi.org and Jesper Frant, jfrant@ndi.org.
KEY INFORMATION FOR MEDIA:
PRESS CONFERENCE: The International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute international election observation missions will be releasing preliminary observation findings in back-to-back press conferences.
SCHEDULE: 16:00-- IRI press conference starts followed by NDI press conference
AUDIOVISUAL INFORMATION: All cameras must be set up before 16:00. Mult boxes, also known as a 'press boxes', will be available for sound.
BACKGROUND
International Republican Institute:
Cindy McCain, chair of the board of trustees for the McCain Institute for International Leadership and Dr. Daniel Twining, president of IRI, will speak on behalf of IRI’s election observation mission. IRI’s 25 observers include current members of parliament, former U.S. congressmen, and senior IRI leadership. The delegation will review all phases of the electoral process, also taking into consideration observations made by IRI’s longterm observers.
National Democratic Institute:
William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and executive vice president of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP); Audrey Glover, chairman of the Foreign Policy Centre and former director of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR); Birgitta Ohlsson, former Swedish minister of EU affairs; Laura Jewett, NDI’s regional director for Eurasia; and Mary O’Hagan, global associate and NDI senior resident director in Ukraine, will speak on behalf of NDI’s election observation mission. NDI’s 32-member delegation includes political leaders, diplomats, former elected and government officials, and regional and electoral experts from nine countries.
The delegation’s preliminary election statement builds on the work of NDI’s pre-election assessment mission conducted in November, as well as the findings of long-term analysts who have been in Ukraine since January.
