Ambassador Ashe to lead delegation to observe Ukraine’s parliamentary elections

Ambassador Victor H. Ashe (Ambassador to Poland, 2004-2009) will lead a delegation to observe Ukraine’s parliamentary elections. The International Republican Institute (IRI) delegation will also be led by Iveta Radièová, former prime minister of Slovakia.

The October 26, 2014 parliamentary elections will see the country choose a new, post-Yanukovych parliament, and are an opportunity for the country to consolidate its democratic gains.  Delegates will travel to Ukraine to monitor voting and ballot counting throughout the country. 

Prior to the election, delegates will be briefed by political party representatives and Ukrainian election officials.  They will also be briefed on the rights and responsibilities of international observers and Ukrainian election law.  Delegates will then be deployed throughout the country where they will observe polling stations and identify and evaluate strengths and weaknesses in Ukraine’s election system, including campaign regulations, the balloting process, vote tabulation and reporting. 

IRI has observed every election since Ukraine’s independence in 1991, including the 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2012 parliamentary elections and the 1999, 2004, 2010 and 2014 presidential elections.