OSCE Special Coordinator Tone Tingsgaard arrives in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The OSCE Special Coordinator for the elections in Armenia, Swedish parliamentarian and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice President Tone Tingsgaard, has arrived in Armenia to prepare for the observation of Saturday's parliamentary elections.



As PanARMENIAN.Net came to know from the OSCE PA press office, Ms.Tingsgaard, an experienced election observer and a frequent visitor to Armenia, was appointed Special Co-ordinator by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. As such, she leads all international short-term election observers deployed by the OSCE.



The 50 OSCE PA members on hand are part of a larger group of international election observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament as well as from OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). In total, almost 100 parliamentarians and 300 other short-term observers will be observing the parliamentary elections in all parts of Armenia.



"I am delighted to be in Armenia in these important and exciting times," said Ms.Tingsgaard upon arrival today. "All the international observers have an important role to play as the elections are crucial for Armenia and its continued democratic development. I wish the country and all its citizens success on Saturday."



The OSCE PA has a long experience in election monitoring. Since 1993, over 2,000 OSCE PA members have participated as election observers in over 75 elections over the entire OSCE region.



A formal statement about the elections will be issued on Sunday, 13 May, the day after the elections.