Vladimir Putin's former interpreter will monitor the elections in Hungary, after the OSCE rejected an official protest
A Hungarian civil rights group has expressed concern about the role of Russian President Vladimir Putin's former interpreter in a mission to monitor important parliamentary elections in April, Reuters reports.
Opinion polls show Orban's Fidesz party, a populist-nationalist leader who has maintained close ties with Putin despite the war in Ukraine, trailing Peter Magyar's center-right Tisza.
Although a significant number of Hungarians say they are still undecided who they will vote for in the April 12 election, which could substantially alter the outcome indicated by polls, an eventual defeat for Orban would have major implications for Europe amid the rise of far-right parties.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) this month sent a letter to the leadership of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), requesting the removal of Daria Boiarskaia from its election observation mission.
The Helsinki Committee expressed its disappointment with the OSCE's decision
“The HHC requested that Putin's former interpreter be relieved of her duties related to the Hungarian elections in order to ensure a climate of trust and confidentiality,” the organization wrote on its website.
Boiarskaia, a senior adviser in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), “supports preparations and conducts official visits of OSCE PA representatives and supports election observation missions,” according to the organization's website.
Previously, she worked at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Helsinki Committee co-chair Marta Pardavi said her organization had received a response from OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella expressing his confidence in Boiarskaia.
“I was disappointed by the Secretary-General's letter because I felt it did not fully take into account the concerns I expressed,” Pardavi told Reuters.
Putin's interpreter was subject to sanctions by Poland
Montella and an OSCE PA spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2022, Poland included Boiarskaia on its sanctions list, banning her from entering the country.
Poland's Interior Ministry said at the time that its support for Putin's government “creates a serious risk of provocations or incidents that could affect Poland's international position.”
The Vienna-based OSCE is an organization of 57 states, including former Cold War adversaries such as the US and Russia, as well as most countries in Europe, Central Asia and North America. The main role of the organization is to prevent and monitor conflicts in Europe.
