MOSCOW, September 25 (RIA Novosti) – The head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PA OSCE) said Thursday the organization had invited Russia to join international observers at the Ukrainian parliamentary election, but Moscow is yet to reply to the proposal.
PA OSCE chief Ilkka Kanerva expressed hope that Russian observers will participate in the observer mission because Moscow plays a key role in everything connected to Ukraine.
Kanerva also said it was too early to speak about how many observers will be sent to Ukraine for the long-term and short-term missions, but the numbers are sure to be significant. He estimated the overall number at “about a thousand.”
On August 27, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree, dissolving the country's parliament and setting new election for October 26.
After he entered into office, Poroshenko has repeatedly highlighted the need to hold early parliamentary election, saying the current composition fails to represent the interests of the Ukrainian society.
The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine refuse to hold any Ukrainian elections on their territories. Instead, independence supporters plan to hold their own parliamentary election in early November.
