The Agora Election Observation Mission to the Slovak parliamentary election on the 30th of September 2023 is already taking its final shape. It is our pleasure to introduce our three Coordinators who took up and embraced challenging tasks.
Logistics Coordinator: Ondřej Hynek
My name is Ondřej Hynek. I hold an MA in International Relations and Bsc in Education. I have been working within the development and humanitarian aid sector and has working experience with international donors such as UNICEF, UNDP, European Commission, European Investment Bank, and UNDP. Besides that, I work as an education specialist and consultant for several Czech universities. Prior to that, I worked at the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic as Advisor to Deputy Minister related to the Ukrainian refugee crisis and advising on the best international education practices. Also, I worked at the same ministry as an education analyst for international relations development in the cabinet of the Deputy Minister.
I have experience with managing large-scale teams and projects, for instance, I managed the European Investment Bank in Romania consisting of 25 team members. Also in Ethiopia, I managed a project for the European Commission, including a workshop for 150 representatives of embassies, international organizations, and NGOs.
Outreach Coordinator: Mateusz Kamionka
My name is Mateusz Kamionka. I hold a PhD in Social Sciences (2020), specialising in the topic of the post-Soviet area, and youth in Eastern Europe. I am an Assistant Professor at the Józef Gołuchowski University of Applied Sciences (Poland), Associate Professor at the University of Sumy (Ukraine), also cooperating with the Department of Polish-Ukrainian Studies at the Jagiellonian University. I have lectured at universities from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Albania, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria etc., and have authored over 60 scientific and journalistic articles. I also work with NGOs, and am vice-president of the SIMO Association in Olkusz. I am experienced in international election observation with more than 12 missions completed. Privately, a fan of backpacking in post-Soviet countries.
Research Coordinator: Hannah Preuss
My name is Hannah Preuss, and I am currently pursuing a master’s in Political Sciences at Sciences Po Paris and Fudan University Shanghai. Originally from Germany, I have gained international experience through projects on the rule of law, crisis prevention, and education cooperation for the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Goethe-Institute or the German Council of Commerce (AHK) in Brussels, Berlin, Taipei, and Dubai.
My academic and professional experiences enabled me to develop a deep understanding of the complexity of international affairs and the challenges that arise in democratic processes. I thus believe in the need to strengthen electoral processes in order to ensure free and fair elections. As a young professional myself, I am eager to contribute to youth participation by ensuring young citizens are sufficiently included in public decision-making.