Ukraine's Parliamentary Elections Broadly in Line With Democratic Standards, According to International Observers

Ukraine's Parliamentary Elections Broadly in Line With Democratic Standards, According to International Observers PR Newswire KYIV, Ukraine, October 29, 2012 KYIV, Ukraine, October 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-concluded October 28th parliamentary elections in Ukraine were "broadly in line with international democratic standards" according to Thierry Mariani, the former French minister who headed the election observation mission of the European Academy for Election Observation (EAEO). "The Ukrainian parliamentary elections were held in compliance with democratic norms," he said at a press conference in Kiev on Monday. "There were no reports of systematic violations," Mariani added. The delegation of the European Academy for Election Observation is made up of 56 parliamentarians and experts from 14 European countries. Some 36 members of the delegation are serving MPs or Senators, with a further 10 former members of parliament. Many of the observers have significant experience of elections observation as members and former members of organizations such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the OSCE- Parliamentary Assembly, the NATO-Assembly, and the WEU-Assembly.