News and press releases

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) supports the Press Council’s “STOP! Hate Speech” campaign launched on 16 October 2020. The aim of this campaign is to identify and respond to hate speech in online commentary during the 2020 local election campaign...

From 1 to 15 October 2020, political parties, coalitions, and independent candidates participating in the 2020 local elections signed an election pledge in 25 local communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). With the support of the OSCE Mission to BiH, the election pledge was developed by representatives of the municipal/city election commissions, municipal/city administration and civil society organizations...

COPENHAGEN, 12 October 2020 – Some 100 election observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will deploy later this month to the United States for the 3 November general elections. They will work with about 40 long-term observers and experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights who are already in the country and deliver a joint assessment following election day. The mission will mark the eighth time the PA has observed the vote in the U.S. since 2004...

Based on a shortfall in the number of short-term observers provided by OSCE states due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel and health restrictions, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has decided to limit its missions in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to

The parliamentary elections in Serbia were administered efficiently despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but dominance of the ruling party, including in the media, was a cause for concern. These are some of the main conclusions from the 21 June 2020 elections, as detailed in the final report published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

As of today, 7 October 2020, a chatbot called “CEC about elections”, is available for election commissioners on the ground, candidates and ordinary voters who would like immediate information on various aspects of the upcoming local elections in Ukraine. The chatbot is an artificial intelligence-based application, developed with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator for the country’s Central Election Commission.

BISHKEK, 5 October 2020 – Kyrgyzstan’s parliamentary elections were generally well run and candidates could campaign freely, but credible allegations of vote buying remain a serious concern, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today...