The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said that it will send a delegation of some 80 parliamentarians and staff from 29 countries to observe Serbia's parliamentary elections on October 25.
This will be its 12th election observation mission in Serbia.
Gilles Baum of Luxembourg will serve as OSCE Special Coordinator and lead the short-term observers, while Federica Onori of Italy will head the Parliamentary Assembly delegation. The team will work alongside the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), whose mission is headed by Eoghan Murphy of Ireland.
The observers will be briefed by the electorion authorities, political parties, civil society organizations, media representatives and independent experts before deploying across Serbia. On October 25, they will visit polling stations to assess voting procedures, ballot counting and the overall conduct of the elections. The international mission's preliminary findings will be presented at a joint press conference in Belgrade on October 26.
The OSCE said the elections come at a particularly crucial moment for Serbia, citing heightened political polarization and a changing political landscape.