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Respecting its international commitments, Lithuania has extended an invitation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the upcoming general presidential election on 17 May 2009.

Lithuania’s Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna Ambassador Renatas Norkus informed the OSCE Permanent Council about the invitation on 22 January 2009.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) organises election observation in the OSCE countries. The ODIHR has accumulated a unique experience of election observation. During the last ten years, the Office has organised observation of about 150 elections at various levels, attracting thousands of experts and observers from the whole OSCE area. In Lithuania, the OSCE observed the parliamentary election in 1996.

In 2007, Lithuania sent 43 short-term observers to the ODIHR election observation missions. Lithuania constantly makes voluntary financial contributions to the ODIHR diversification fund, which finances participation of observers from countries with limited financial possibilities in the missions.

This year, Lithuania holds the chairmanship of the OSCE Human Dimension Committee, which organises the Human Dimension events, discussions on the fulfilment of commitments by its member states, considers inter-dimensional affairs and gives recommendations to the OSCE Permanent Council.

Presently, the OSCE unites 56 European, North American and Central Asian countries.