ODIHR experts discuss electoral recommendations in Germany

A team of election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Berlin and Karlsruhe from 19 to 21 November 2018 to present the final report of ODIHR’s election expert team for the 24 September 2017 elections to Germany’s federal parliament (Bundestag).

The report’s findings and recommendations were discussed with representatives of the Federal Foreign Office, the Ministry of Interior, the Election Scrutiny Board of the Bundestag, the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and the Federal Constitutional Court.

The ODIHR experts presented recommendations that focused on strengthening the transparency of campaign finance and adjudication of election-related complaints.

“We appreciate the invitation by the authorities to present the final report from the recent parliamentary elections and engage in meaningful follow-up to discuss ODIHR’s recommendations,” said Tana de Zulueta, Head of the Election Expert Team.

The expert team emphasized the importance of addressing recommendations made in its reports in an inclusive and open manner, well ahead of the next elections. All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to following up on ODIHR's election assessments and recommendations.