News and press releases

A team of experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was in Prishtinë/Priština from 16 to 19 April for a consultation and planning visit as part of the ODIHR project  Support to Elections in the Western Balkans. In-depth consultations were held with key

A team of elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) met with electoral stakeholders in Norway from 16 to 18 April 2018 to present the  final report  of ODIHR’s election expert team for the September 2017 parliamentary elections. The report’s

PODGORICA, 16 April 2018 – Fundamental freedoms were respected in the 15 April Montenegro presidential election, although the governing party candidate held an institutional advantage, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement today. Candidates campaigned freely, and the media provided the contestants with a platform to present their views, but the lack of analytical reporting and absence of the frontrunner in the televised debates reduced voters’ opportunity to make an informed choice, the statement says...

BAKU, 12 April 2018 – The early presidential election in Azerbaijan took place within a restrictive political environment and under laws that curtail fundamental rights and freedoms, which are prerequisites for genuine democratic elections. Against this backdrop and in the absence of pluralism, including in the media, the election lacked genuine competition. Other candidates refrained from directly challenging or criticizing the incumbent, and distinction was not made between his campaign and his official activities, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement today. At the same time, the authorities were co-operative and international observers were able to operate freely in the pre-election period, and the election administration was well resourced and prepared the election efficiently...

BUDAPEST, 9 April 2018 – Hungary’s 8 April parliamentary elections were characterized by a pervasive overlap between state and ruling party resources, undermining contestants’ ability to compete on an equal basis, the observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a preliminary statement today. Voters had a wide range of political options, but intimidating and xenophobic rhetoric, media bias and opaque campaign financing constricted the space for genuine political debate, hindering voters’ ability to make a fully informed choice. The technical administration of the elections was professional and transparent, the observers said...

A team of experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights were in Skopje from 19 to 23 March for a consultation and planning visit as part of the ODIHR project Support to Elections in the Western Balkans. In-depth consultations were held with key stakeholders regarding

WARSAW, 23 March 2018 – Wrapping up a two-day visit to Warsaw, where meetings have taken place with colleagues from the Polish Parliament and from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) said today that solving common problems requires greater international co-operation.