De Donnea to lead OSCE PA mission
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's observation mission will observe the May 6 parliamentary elections and will be led by Francois Ksavye de Donnea from Belgium.
The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland Eymon Gilmore has appointed De Donnea the special coordinator to lead the OSCE short-term observation mission, which will include more than 200 observers.
De Donnea, who is a deputy of the Belgian Parliament and ex-mayor of Brussels, has participated in several election observation missions and has been head of the observation mission during the 2010 presidential elections in Ukraine.
"Armenia is geographically located at the crossroads between the East and the West and that is of greater strategic importance from the angle of the advancement of democracy. The application of innovative technologies this year, that is, engaging citizens in the electoral process, educating voters and encouraging civic participation, is a promising development," said de Donnea. "I look forward to leading our delegation to observe this year's parliamentary elections, which I hope will show Armenia's potential to fulfill the commitments made to the OSCE and serve as a model for future elections in the region."
The OSCE will assess the compatibility of Armenia's elections with its commitments to the OSCE established in the 1990 Copenhagen document, which Armenia has signed. De Donnea will make an announcement about the elections on behalf of the OSCE during his press conference on May 7.
