News and press releases

TASHKENT, 28 March 2023- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened a limited referendum observation mission for the 30 April constitutional referendum in Uzbekistan, following an official invitation from the national authorities.

PODGORICA, 20 March 2023 – Montenegro’s presidential election was competitive, with candidates able to campaign freely and fundamental freedoms for all citizens respected, but the candidate registration was not inclusive and longstanding shortcomings in the legal framework and campaign finance regulations remained unaddressed, international observers said in a statement today.

ASTANA, 20 March 2023 – The 19 March early parliamentary elections were held in the context of reforms introduced to bring Kazakhstan closer to holding elections in line with international standards and OSCE commitments, as legal amendments addressed several previous recommendations and provided increased choice for voters. However, limits on the exercise of fundamental freedoms remain, and some political groups continued to be prevented from participation as parties in elections. Further changes to the legal framework are needed to provide a sufficient basis for conducting democratic elections, the international observers said in a statement released today.

With less than two months from the local government elections of 14 May, Head of the OSCE Presence Ambassador Guido De Sanctis hosted today a meeting with the Heads of Missions of OSCE participating States and international organizations in Albania to exchange information and co-ordinate assistance

Polling station staff have a vital role in administering elections and ensuring that voters, political parties and candidates have confidence in the election process, which is why the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the State Election Commission held a training workshop for municipal electoral commissions on how to train polling station staff for the presidential election scheduled for 19 March.

The OSCE Presence in Albania, in close partnership with the Albanian State Police and with the support of the Central Election Commission and the General Prosecutor’s Office, started today the training of police officers who will be engaged with elections duties. The training courses, which will

Key challenges and opportunities for civil society in the follow-up on election observation recommendations were the focus of a conference that took place in Warsaw on 21 and 22 February 2023, as a part of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) “ Support to Electoral