COPENHAGEN, 30 April 2025 – Following a decision by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma (Finland), the PA will deploy a limited election observation mission to Romania for the repeat presidential election scheduled for 4 May.

OSCE PA human rights committee Chair Lucie Potůčková (Czechia) has been appointed by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the OSCE short-term observers. She will also serve as Head of the OSCE PA mission.

“This mission marks the third time that OSCE PA election observers have deployed to Romania, having done so in 1996 and 2012, and is part of our regular election observation work across the OSCE region, both in the East and the West,” Potůčková said. “As members of parliament and as representatives of the world’s largest regional security organization, OSCE parliamentarians bring a unique perspective to every election that we observe, and we look forward to offering our expertise in assessing this important vote.”

The OSCE PA’s work in Romania is a joint effort with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), whose mission is led by Eoghan Murphy and includes a core team of 13 international experts based in Bucharest and 22 long-term observers who have been deployed across the country since 2 April.

Observers will assess the elections against commitments in the OSCE Copenhagen Document of 1990, paying particular attention to the campaign environment, the legal framework, election administration, election day procedures, and media coverage. The OSCE PA observers will participate in two days of briefings in Bucharest before deploying for election day observation.

The observers’ preliminary findings and conclusions will be delivered at a press conference in Bucharest on 5 May, which will also stream live at www.oscepa.org.

If a second round of the presidential election is needed, OSCE PA observers will return to Romania for the 18 May vote.