Ditmir Bushati and Pia KaumaCOPENHAGEN, 8 July 2021 – Some 60 OSCE parliamentarians from 22 countries will deploy this week to Moldova to observe the 11 July early parliamentary elections. The OSCE PA observers will work closely with colleagues from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, as well as the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Ditmir Bushati, Head of the Albanian Delegation to the OSCE PA, will serve as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, following an appointment by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde.
“We hope that Sunday's early parliamentary elections will provide an opportunity for Moldova to end the political deadlock and carry on with reforms,” noted Special Co-ordinator Bushati. “Together with our partners from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the European Parliament, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, we look forward to assisting Moldova uphold its democratic commitments.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to visit Moldova to observe these elections, particularly in the light of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said OSCE PA Vice President Pia Kauma (Finland), who will lead the OSCE PA observer delegation. “I am encouraged to see that so many observers will be deployed across Moldova this weekend, and we look forward to offering our full and impartial assessment of these elections.”
Altogether, the international election observation mission encompassing observers from the OSCE PA/ODIHR, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, has more than 300 observers in the country.
The mission is assessing the elections against democratic commitments contained in the OSCE’s 1990 Copenhagen Document. Observers are comprehensively briefed in online joint parliamentary briefings, which started today.
The OSCE PA has observed all parliamentary elections in Moldova since 1994, most recently the 2019 parliamentary elections. For previous OSCE PA assessments of Moldovan elections, please click here.
