COPENHAGEN, 22 September 2022 – Some 100 observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will deploy next week to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 2 October general elections. The OSCE PA observers will work closely with colleagues from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Special Co-ordinator Pascal Allizard and Head of OSCE PA Delegation Irene CharalambidesPascal Allizard (France), OSCE PA Vice-President and Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs, will serve as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, following an appointment by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau.
“We are looking forward to working closely with our long-standing partners and lending our contribution,” said Allizard. “The large scale of this mission, close to 400 observers in total, is a clear signal of the great interest of the international community in the democratic development and reform process in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
President Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) has appointed Irene Charalambides (Cyprus), OSCE PA Vice-President and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, to lead the OSCE PA observer delegation.
“As observers, we will bring a fair and impartial eye to the process, and we hope to observe a competitive election next week, in line with international standards,” said Charalambides. “This election is an important opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina to demonstrate a clear commitment to democratic processes.”
The mission is assessing the elections against democratic commitments contained in the OSCE’s 1990 Copenhagen Document. Observers will be briefed by election administrators, experts, candidates, political party representatives, media and civil society representatives for two days prior to election day. The leaders of the mission will deliver the post-election statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference in Sarajevo on 3 October, which will stream live on the OSCE PA website, www.oscepa.org.
For previous OSCE PA assessments of Bosnia and Herzegovina elections, please click here.
