Mykyta Poturaiev Becomes President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Ukrainian MP Mykyta Poturaiev has assumed the presidency of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly after Spain’s Pere Joan Pons Sampietro left the post to join the Spanish government. Under the assembly’s rules, the duties passed to the longest-serving vice-president, Poturaiev, until a new president is elected for the 2027–2029 term.
Key points
- Mykyta Poturaiev became president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
- He is the first Ukrainian representative to lead the assembly in the history of independent Ukraine.
- Poturaiev previously headed Ukraine’s delegation and served as an assembly vice-president.
- He was first elected vice-president in 2023 and re-elected in July 2026 in The Hague.
- He will perform the president’s duties until the new president for the 2027–2029 term is elected.
- The new presidential election is scheduled for July 2027.
- Pere Joan Pons Sampietro left office after accepting a new position in the Spanish government.
Why it matters
The appointment marks the first time a representative of independent Ukraine has headed the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. It also places Ukraine in charge of a major international parliamentary institution, potentially strengthening the representation of Ukrainian interests within the OSCE.
What happened
Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, who had served as president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, accepted a new position in the Spanish government and resigned his parliamentary and assembly mandates. Under paragraph 5.8 of the assembly’s rules, the duties of president passed to the longest-serving vice-president, Mykyta Poturaiev. Poturaiev had already led Ukraine’s delegation, was first elected vice-president in 2023 and was re-elected in July 2026 in The Hague. He will exercise the president’s duties until the assembly elects a new president for the 2027–2029 term in July 2027.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian sources emphasize the historic significance of the appointment for independent Ukraine. They also highlight Poturaiev’s roles as a Ukrainian MP and chair of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy. The reporting notes his appreciation for Ukraine’s delegation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Background
Pons Sampietro left the presidency after accepting a new government position in Spain. Poturaiev became acting president through the assembly’s succession rule rather than an immediate presidential election. He is a People’s Deputy of Ukraine and chairs the Verkhovna Rada’s humanitarian and information policy committee. Ukrainians have previously held other leadership roles in OSCE institutions: Mykola Hnatovskyi, a Ukrainian judge at the European Court of Human Rights, was elected chair of an assembly section, while Yevhenii Kravchuk became chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Media and Information Society.