News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
With election day approaching, OSCE Chairperson welcomes progress on national dialogue in Ukraine, calls for stopping violence and provocations
Publishing date: 23 May 2014
BERN, 23 May, 2014 – Commending the Ukrainian authorities for their measures to reduce tensions, Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, called upon all sides – and particularly upon the parties of the Geneva Statement of 17 April –, to lend full support to the country in its efforts for de-escalation and for a peaceful solution of the crisis, including the holding of early presidential elections...
OSCE/ODIHR final report on Serbia’s parliamentary elections notes respect for fundamental freedoms, recommends steps to further improve election process
Publishing date: 22 May 2014
The early parliamentary elections in Serbia, held on 16 March 2014, were characterized by respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, but more needs to be done to further improve the election process, says the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
OSCE trains administrative and local court judges on election legislation ahead of Ukraine’s early presidential and local vote
Publishing date: 21 May 2014
The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU), completed on 21 May 2014 a series of trainings on uniform interpretation of election legislation for administrative and local court judges, held jointly with the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and USAID “FAIR Justice” Project...
OSCE Presence in Albania, Central Election Commission support transparent financing of political parties, electoral campaigns
Publishing date: 14 May 2014
TIRANA, 14 May 2014- Representatives of government institutions, parliament, political parties, civil society and international organizations met today in Tirana to discuss issues concerning the financing of political parties and electoral campaigns. The event was organized by the Central Election Commission (CEC) with the support of the OSCE Presence in Albania...
OSCE/ODIHR discusses final report on parliamentary elections with Icelandic authorities
Publishing date: 14 May 2014
Elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) met with a delegation from the Icelandic Ministry of the Interior in Warsaw on 14 May 2014 to discuss ODIHR Election Assessment Mission’s final report for the 2013 parliamentary elections in Iceland.
Ahead of Ukraine’s elections, OSCE Project Co-ordinator launches voter awareness campaign
Publishing date: 12 May 2014
An awareness campaign with the ultimate goal of helping Ukrainian voters to fully exercise their rights in elections was launched on 8 May 2014 by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) upon request from the country’s Central Election Commission...
April elections sent promising signal, UN Special Representative for Afghanistan tells OSCE Permanent Council
Publishing date: 30 April 2014
VIENNA, 30 April 2014- The April 5 presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan demonstrated that the Afghan people had “rejected violence as a means of political transition and opted for a political process”, Ján Kubiš, the United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 30 April 2014.