The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Ukraine has registered an unprecedented number of non-governmental organizations as observers ahead of the presidential election scheduled for 31 March, CEC official Nataliya Bernatska has said.
"This year we have an unprecedented number: 139 Ukrainian non-governmental organizations registered as observers. The CEC was very strict in vetting applications: for us, the key criterion is the actual existence of the organization, while another requirement is that election monitoring is enshrined in its statute," Bernatska said on Hromadske TV.
About 1,000 applications from foreign observers have also been approved.