On 7 October, at the 2025 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, European Platform for Democratic Elections and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) hosted a side event on the challenges citizen election observers face in today’s fast-changing electoral landscape.
Speakers shared key developments from across the region:
- Access to electoral funding data: Observers continue to face difficulties in accessing information on electoral financing, including third-party contributions particularly in Moldova, where transparency gaps not only obstruct civil society but are actively exploited by foreign actors for disinformation and manipulation of public opinion. The digital sphere amplifies these vulnerabilities – hate speech targeting women, minorities, and political opponents has surged, with most cases occurring online.
- Restrictive legal frameworks are undermining civil society’s role across the region: Legislative frameworks in several countries are affecting civil society’s operational capacity. Armenia’s political finance reforms are still pending, and delayed accountability mechanisms complicate monitoring efforts. In Georgia, the “foreign agent” law has escalated into systemic harassment of CSOs, freezing the funds of independent NGOs and affecting their ability to train or deploy observers.
- Disinformation campaigns: State-driven information campaigns increasingly shape public perception, particularly in Georgia, erode trust in watchdog organizations, and push civil society from being partners in democracy to perceived adversaries.
- Evolving context for citizen observation: Overall, the discussion illustrated a shift in the environment for election observation, where civil society actors face increasingly complex challenges that extend beyond traditional methodological concerns.
- Collaboration and co-ordination challenges: Domestic and international observers face increasing regulatory restrictions, repressive legislation and administrative hurdles that hinder their ability to operate effectively and address emerging challenges to electoral integrity.
Speakers
Moderated by Zofia Lutkiewicz, Director of the Political Accountability Foundation (Poland), Board Member of the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) and Board Member of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM).
Details
- Side Event: Citizen Observation under Pressure: Safeguarding the Space to Monitor Elections
- Time: 18:30–19:30 CET
- Venue: Sofitel Victoria Warsaw, Królewska St. 11, 00-065, Warsaw
- Room: Meeting Room 1 – Belweder
- Language: English
