News

On 3 October in Vilnius, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis met with Ambassador Rolf Ekéus, the head of the Election Observation Mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

 At the meeting, Ažubalis said that Lithuania attached importance to democratic elections both in Lithuania’s neighbourhood and in the countries of the Arab League that seek to consolidate democratic governance after the Arab Spring. The Minister noted that Lithuania offered an opportunity to representatives from the Arab League countries and Afghanistan to monitor elections in Lithuania and, thus, gain valuable experience related to the organisation of democratic elections.

Ažubalis noted Lithuania`s support for the activities of the ODIHR. The Minister emphasized that the ODIHR`s efforts to promote high democratic standards had to continue unhindered in all the OSCE countries.

“Selfless efforts of the ODIHR representatives in the countries, which have just stepped on the path towards an open and democratic society, are invaluable. However, we believe that  old democracies can also rely on your expertise and trust your advice,” the Minister stressed.

On 1 June, in line with the OSCE’s Copenhagen commitments, Lithuanian Foreign Minister sent a letter inviting the ODIHR, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE participating States to observe the parliamentary elections in Lithuania, which are due on 14 October 2012. Responding to this invitation, the Needs Assessment Mission visited Lithuania on June 26-28. In its report, the mission assessed the pre-election environment in Lithuania, media situation, legislation, and technical preparation. The Needs Assessment Mission has positively assessed the credibility of the electoral process in Lithuania and recognised its conformity with the OSCE standards and Lithuania’s international commitments.