Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, rebuffed criticism from EU members of parliament regarding the makeup of its election‑observation mission in Hungary.
The mission, comprising more than 100 parliamentarians and headed by two political officers appointed by Pons, was described in a letter he sent to the signatories of a protest. In the communication, which the “Spiegel” reports, he expressed “full confidence” in both the officers and the secretariat, citing the Code of Conduct as the governing standard – noting that the secretariat has not shown any loss of confidence or breach of the code up to this point.
The dispute stems from a letter signed by 56 EU MPs demanding the removal of an OSCE staffer who, according to media reports, previously worked as an interpreter for the Russian Foreign Ministry and translated for President Vladimir Putin. In his reply, Pons warned of the risk of “public defamation” and highlighted targeted attacks on staff, especially women.
EU Green MP Daniel Freund criticized Pons’ response as evasive. Civil‑society groups and opposition parties withheld meetings as long as a “Putin‑affiliate” remained on the mission, arguing that such a presence undermines the efficacy of election observation.
Pons has invited a formal discussion on 26 and 27 April in Copenhagen. Hungary’s election is scheduled for 12 April.