The Secretary General
To:
Heads of OSCE PA Delegations
Members of the OSCE PA Bureau
Secretaries of OSCE PA Delegations
Copenhagen, 20 October 2017
CC:
Dear Members of the Standing Committee,
As you may know, President Christine Muttonen was not re-elected in her domestic
capacity during the 15 October parliamentary elections in Austria. President Muttonen’s
mandate in the Austrian Parliament, and Membership in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,
therefore expires with the opening of the new parliament, which we understand to be planned
for 9 November 2017.
Rule 5-8
of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Rules of Procedure states that:
“The Vice
-President who has obtained the highest number of votes among the Vice-
Presidents with greatest length of service, and, at a parity of votes, the eldest of them,
may act as President when the latter is unable to exercise his or her functions, until
the Assembly elects a successor.”
According to records maintained by the International Secretariat, George Tsereteli is
currently the Vice-President with the greatest length of service, having first been elected Vice-
President in 2012. I have therefore today written to Vice-President Tsereteli, asking that he
assume the office and act as President from 9 November 2017 until the Assembly elects a
successor. Under Rule 4 of the Rules of Procedure, the Assembly will elect a successor before
the close of the next Annual Session, from 7-11 July 2018. I am sure you will join me in
wishing Mr. Tsereteli the very best in this new role.
I and the International Secretariat look forward to serving under this new political
leadership, and will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of all OSCE parliamentarians.
Yours sincerely,
Roberto Montella
_________________
Tordenskjoldsgade 1, 1055 Copenhagen K., Denmark
Phone: +45 33 37 80 40 - Fax: +45 33 37 80 30 - [email protected] - www.oscepa.org