Matteo Mecacci at a polling station on election day. BELGRADE, 7 May 2012 – Serbia's parliamentary and early presidential elections on 6 May 2012 took place in an open and competitive environment but additional efforts are needed to improve the transparency of the election process and the functioning of the media, observers said in a statement issued today. Observers noted that voters were provided with a wide degree of choice between various

Francois-Xavier De Donnea speaks to a poll worker on election day. YEREVAN, 7 May 2012 – Sunday's parliamentary elections in Armenia featured a vibrant and largely peaceful campaign, with overall balanced media coverage, but pressure on voters and a deficient complaints process created an unequal playing field, the international election observers said Monday. Observers noted a campaign environment that generally respected freedoms of assembly

YEREVAN, 4 May 2012 - Francois-Xavier de Donnea, special co-ordinator to lead the OSCE observation mission in Armenia, this morning opened a full day of briefings for more than 100 parliamentarians as they prepare to deploy across Armenia for Sunday's parliamentary elections. Matteo Mecacci, leader of the OSCE short-term observer mission to the 6 May parliamentary and early presidential elections in Serbia, began similar briefings for MPs in

Balkan Insight 2 May 2012 The monitoring mission of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which will observe this Sunday's elections in Serbia, will comprise more than 35 members, the organisation has announced. The OSCE monitoring mission in Serbia will be headed by Italian Matteo Mecacci who was appointed special coordinator by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore. "I hope that the elections, which we will

Martti Ahtisaari speaks with Tonino Picula on the margins of the conference in Dublin. COPENHAGEN, 1 May 2012 – In Dublin on 27 April, OSCE PA Vice-President Tonino Picula represented the Assembly at the OSCE Chairmanship's Conference "Shared Future: Building and Sustaining Peace," which focused on Northern Ireland as a case study of an effectively resolved protracted conflict. The conference was moderated by former President of Finland Martti

COPENHAGEN, 1 May 2012 – The OSCE PA observation mission to Serbia this week will include more than 35 participants. The delegation to observe the country's 6 May parliamentary elections will be led by Matteo Mecacci (Italy). OSCE Chair-in-Office and Irish Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore appointed Mecacci Special Co-ordinator to head the short-term OSCE observer mission. Mecacci, a member of the Italian parliament and chair of the OSCE PA's