Ukraine's presidential election competitive, well-organized: int'l observers

Members of international election observation missions said Monday that the recent presidential election in Ukraine has been competitive and properly organized.

While speaking at a press conference of the mission in Kiev, George Tsereteli, the special coordinator of the short-term observer mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said that the elections were held in line with international standards.

"The 2019 presidential election in Ukraine was competitive and held with respect for fundamental freedoms," Tsereteli was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency.

Meanwhile, Angela Smith, representative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said that the elections were well-organized.

"The elections were organized properly, and Ukrainians were able to express their will without any restrictions," Smith was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

According to the early official results, Ukrainian actor Volodymyr Zelensky won the country's presidential election after defeating incumbent President Petro Poroshenko in the runoff on April 21.

Voting in the second round was held since none of the candidates got more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round on March 31.