Adomenas & Nojay to Serve as COD Election Co-Chairs

Kyiv, Ukraine – A member of the Lithuanian Seimas and a New York State Assemblyman are The Committee for Open Democracy’s Co-Chairmen for the Ukrainian National Local Elections, said Executive Director, Brian Mefford today.

Mantas Adomenas of the Homeland Union-Christian Democratic political group from Lithuania and Bill Nojay, a Republican legislator from New York will lead The Committee’s Ukraine local election observation effort on the October 25th local election first round when more than 350,000 candidates compete for over 168,000 local government positions, including city, village and settlement mayors; and, village, settlement, city, city district, rayon and oblast councils.

The Committee will deploy up to 88 observers from 17 countries to at least four Ukrainian cities – Kyiv, Odessa and Rivne – the weekend of October 24 and 25 for the first round of local elections on the 25th. The Committee will also deploy observers for the November 15 runoff elections.

“We are pleased and honored to have Mantas Adomenas and Bill Nojay as co-chairs of The Committee for Open Democracy Ukraine 2015 local election observation mission,” said The Committee’s President Tom Nolan. “Both gentlemen represent the best of their respective parliamentary and legislative institutions as well as a transatlantic commitment to Ukraine’s European aspirations. Their participation as co-chairs is a testimony to the importance of these local elections.”

Mr. Adomenas was elected to the Seimas in 2008 and reelected in 2012. One of his policy priorities is regional development the emerging democracies in the Eastern Partnership, including Ukraine. He serves as Deputy Chair of the Seimas’ Human Rights Committee. Mr. Adomenas has observed multiple elections in Ukraine for The Committee, including last year’s Verkhovna Rada elections and local government elections in Odessa in 2010. His impressive academic career includes a PhD. in the Classics from the University of Cambridge.

Mr. Nojay represents the 133rd Assembly District in New York’s State Assembly. In addition to his domestic policy focus on transportation issues, he has a long history of support for international democracy, including in Ukraine, Nepal, Libya, Cambodia and Iran where he serves as Director and Secretary Treasurer of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran. Like Mr. Adomenas, Mr. Nojay possesses an impressive academic background with both a law and business degrees from Columbia University.

The Committee for Open Democracy is an objective, nonprofit organization that monitors and observes elections internationally for adherence to democratic standards of fairness, reflecting the voters’ will.
The Committee has observed 17 international elections since it was established in 2010. COD’s past election observations include: The 2014 Ukrainian Presidential election, the 2014 and 2012 Ukrainian Parliamentary elections, the 2013 Ukrainian Special Parliamentary by-elections, the 2010 national local elections in Ukraine, the special Ukrainian local elections in 2012 and 2013, the 2015 Lithuanian local government elections, the 2014 Slovenian Parliamentary elections, the 2012 Slovenian Presidential election, the 2010 and 2014 Moldovan Parliamentary elections, the 2012 Montenegrin Parliamentary elections, the 2013 Montenegrin Presidential election, the 2013 Albanian Parliamentary elections, the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and the 2013 Bulgarian Parliamentary elections.