NDI fields international observation mission for early parliamentary elections in Ukraine

The delegation includes political leaders, diplomats, former elected and government officials, and regional and electoral experts, including: John Bruton, former prime minister of Ireland and ambassador of the EU to the United States; Dame 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); Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Laura Jewett, NDI regional director for Eurasia. The delegation will build on the work of NDI’s missions to the first and second rounds of 2019 presidential election in Ukraine, the findings of long-term analysts who have been in Ukraine since June 2019, and a pre-election assessment conducted in November 2018.

“The March and April presidential election was historic,” said Dame Audrey Glover. “Ukrainians reaffirmed their commitment to democracy alongside a strong desire for change. NDI polling shows that public optimism and expectations are now at record highs. This provides a sound footing for the parliamentary elections and represents a huge asset for the country.”

“Expectations of the new parliament are particularly impressive,” said Laura Jewett. “Fully half of Ukrainians think the next parliament will represent their interests better than the current one and almost everyone expects major reform in the next twelve months. A genuinely democratic electoral process would give the new parliament and government the mandate they need to make difficult choices and enact reforms.”

The delegation’s purpose is to demonstrate the international community’s continuing support for democratic processes in Ukraine and to provide an objective assessment of the election process and the political environment surrounding it. Members of the delegation will meet with party and campaign representatives, government and election officials, as well as representatives of civil society, the media and the international community in Kyiv and 12 regions of the country. On election day, the NDI observers will visit polling stations for the opening, voting, closing and counting processes in their assigned regions.

NDI has organized international observation missions or assessments in more than 65 countries for more than 135 elections, earning a reputation for impartiality and professionalism. The NDI observer mission will conduct its activities in a nonpartisan, professional manner, in accordance with Ukrainian law and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. NDI also will remain in close contact with Ukrainian monitoring groups and other international observer delegations throughout the electoral period. The work of this mission is made possible with the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

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NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. For more information about NDI and its programs, please visit www.ndi.org.