KIEV, October 9 (RIA Novosti) -The observer mission of the European Parliament at the parliamentary elections in Ukraine will consist of 15 members and will begin its work in seven Ukrainian cities on October 24, the EU delegation to Ukraine said in a statement released on Thursday.
"The EP delegation will be composed of 15 MEPs and will be integrated, as usual, in an International Election Observation Mission led by the long-term expert mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR)," the statement said, adding that the delegation will start its activities on October 24 and that the EP observers will visit seven Ukrainian cities – Kiev, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Lviv, Odessa, Kharkiv and Dnepropetrovsk.
According to the statement, the delegation will be led by Andrej Plenkovic, a Croatian Democratic Union politician.
"The forthcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine are important for the consolidation of democracy in Ukraine, especially since in some regions they are held in very demanding circumstances," Plenkovic said, as quoted in a statement. He noted that the European Parliament's delegation "together with other international partners" would play an important role in ensuring that the elections are held in a "free and fair manner."
On August 27, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed an executive order dissolving the country's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine are scheduled for October 26.
