News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE/ODIHR opens observation mission for parliamentary elections in Hungary
Publishing date: 6 March 2018
BUDAPEST, 6 March 2018 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened its limited election observation mission for the 8 April parliamentary elections in Hungary. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the Hungarian authorities...
Italians vote under new electoral system in elections held in line with democratic traditions, say international observers
Publishing date: 5 March 2018
ROME, 5 March 2018 – The 4 March parliamentary elections in Italy were a vibrant display of competitive democracy in which voters could readily inform themselves about their political options and could freely cast their ballots, concluded international observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today following their first-ever election observation mission in the country. The elections offered voters a multitude of parties to choose from, and benefitted from extensive media coverage, with diverse and critical analysis of many aspects of the campaigns. In a welcome effort, concerns about ‘fake news’ were taken seriously by authorities and media companies during the campaign. On election day, time-consuming procedures resulted in some delays and long queues for voters...
ODIHR final report on Iceland parliamentary elections recommends further steps to codify election administration regulations and practice, increase transparency of campaign finance
Publishing date: 2 March 2018
The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 28 October 2017 early parliamentary elections in Iceland recommends measures to ensure greater legal certainty and coherence in areas such as candidate registration and voting procedures, as well as to
ODIHR final report on Georgia’s local elections recommends removing undue restrictions on voter and candidate rights, addressing legal gaps and inconsistencies
Publishing date: 23 February 2018
The final report on the 21 October and 12 November 2017 local elections in Georgia issued by observers of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recommends steps to improve the electoral legislation and strengthen guarantees of voter and candidate rights. The report,
ODIHR experts visit Skopje to present final report on municipal elections
Publishing date: 23 February 2018
A team from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Skopje from 21 to 23 February 2018 to present the final report of its election observation mission for the 15 October municipal elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The report’s findings and
ODIHR provides expertise to Central Election Commission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Publishing date: 23 February 2018
A team of experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 19 to 23 February 2018 to provide assistance to the Central Election Commission in following up on ODIHR electoral recommendations. The expertise provided related to the
OSCE Mission to Montenegro assists State Election Commission in developing an operational plan for presidential elections
Publishing date: 23 February 2018
Ahead of the busy election year with presidential and a number of local elections in the spring, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro is providing technical assistance to the country’s State Election Commission (SEC) and Municipal Election Commissions (MEC) to support the development of an Election Operational Plan- an essential tool in managing the upcoming presidential election, which is scheduled for 15 April 2018.