Elections

A voter in Astana casts her ballot as others wait during Kazakhstan's early parliamentary elections.

(OSCE/Thomas Rymer) Photo details

Recognizing that democratic elections form the basis for legitimate government, the OSCE observes elections throughout its 57 participating States. It also provides technical assistance to improve the legislative and administrative framework for elections in specific countries.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights observes elections to assess the extent to which electoral processes respect fundamental freedoms and are characterized by equality, universality, political pluralism, confidence, transparency and accountability. The Office also supports authorities in their efforts to improve electoral processes and to follow up on recommendations by ODIHR election observation missions, by reviewing election-related legislation, providing technical expertise and supporting the activities of citizen observer groups. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly leads short-term OSCE observer missions.

Some OSCE field operations carry out elections-related activities, including training for election commission members, media and police, as well as voter education initiatives. They do not, however, take part in election observation missions in their countries of operation.

A number of OSCE field operations work in the area of elections and focus on:

Advising election commissions;
Application of international standards and good practices;
Improvement of electoral administration;
Technical reviews of elections;
Reform of electoral codes;
Consultations among stakeholders of the voting process;
Training, performance reviews and evaluations;
Supporting and engaging with international networks;
Strengthening the participation of women in elections;
Awareness-raising campaigns on voter rights and electoral procedures;
Supporting NGOs observing local and national polls; and
Establishing voter lists.

Elections

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Elections

OSCE in Action

Information and activities on Elections from across the Organization.

Institutions and Structures

OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

Legislative support

Good and effective legislation is the foundation of every functioning state based on the rule of law. Laws should be adopted through democratic procedures and be clear and concise. To ensure the quality and effectiveness of laws related to the human dimension, ODIHR supports participating States by reviewing their law-making systems and relevant draft and existing legislation. In providing such support, the Office draws on legislative guidelines in specific areas, such as election, freedom of assembly and political party legislation, as well as the resources of Legislationline.org, ODIHR’s online legislative database.

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Elections

ODIHR carries out election observation in OSCE participating States to assess the extent to which elections respect fundamental freedoms and are characterized by equality, universality, political pluralism, confidence, transparency and accountability. A long-term, comprehensive, consistent and systematic election observation methodology has become the bedrock of ODIHR’s credibility in this field. The Office also supports authorities in their efforts to improve electoral processes and to follow up on recommendations by ODIHR election observation missions, by reviewing election-related legislation, providing technical expertise and supporting the activities of citizen observer groups.

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Field Operations

OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

To assist the country with the holding of democratic elections, the Centre works with the Central Election Commission and the parliament on recommendations to bring the electoral legislation in line with international standards. It also organizes study visits for election officials to other OSCE participating States.

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OSCE Mission in Kosovo

The Mission provides the Central Election Commission and the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel, as well as their Secretariats with technical advice and expertise for the revision of election bylaws and managing the electoral process, in order for them to meet international standards and follow the recommendations of international election observation missions.

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OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Mission’s initial focus on conducting elections originated with the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, before being transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Central Election Commission in 2002. The Mission continues to work on broader election-related initiatives today.

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OSCE Mission to Montenegro

In line with the relevant international standards and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights recommendations, the Mission supports the enhancement of the capacities of the Montenegrin election administration bodies in improving the preparation and administration of the electoral process. The Mission provides expertise on strategic and operational issues as well as capacity building opportunities for members and staff of the State Elections Commission. It also supports the work of the authorities in developing election legislation and procedures. Attention is also put on advancing the outreach capacities of the institution and on promoting the exchange of regional expertise.

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OSCE Mission to Skopje

The Mission assists the country with the reform of its electoral system. It helps election officials and others involved in electoral matters to apply international standards and good practices, and assists electoral institutions with remedying potential shortcomings and ambiguities in electoral legislation, procedures and the voters’ list.

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OSCE Presence in Albania

Support to the electoral reform and improvement of the electoral administration are the Presence’s main goals in this area. The Presence provides technical assistance to the Assembly to bring the electoral framework fully in line with OSCE commitments; facilitates all-inclusive and constructive dialogue among political parties on election-related issues; and supports capacity building of the Central Election Commission and civil society actors. The Presence implements voter outreach campaigns for special voter groups; provides dedicated election-related training to several stakeholders; and supports the Central Election Commission’s efforts to network with international counterparts.

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OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek

Building on the lessons learned from the OSCE’s comprehensive efforts to foster the development of a democratic electoral process, the OSCE Programme Office continues providing support to authorities to improve electoral legislation, increase inclusiveness of electoral processes and administer elections. This work is done in co-operation with the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

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OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine

Free and fair elections are key to public trust in state institutions and serve as a tool to ensure the responsiveness of the government to the needs of citizens. They are crucial to Ukraine’s stability, in view of the ongoing decentralization reform that envisages the redistribution of power from the central to local levels to increase opportunities for and responsibilities of local authorities.

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