Putin’s Party to Institutionalize Fake Election Observation Ahead of 2026 Duma ”Elections”
In January 2026, the United Russia party announced plans to establish a party-controlled “network of professional international observers,” dismissing established, international election monitoring organizations such as OSCE/ODIHR as “provocative” and replacing them with bilateral party-to-party arrangements. According to Andrey Klimov, a member of United Russia’s supreme council bureau, one such deal is already being finalized […]
Moldova Lessons Informing Armenia’s 2026 Election
This year’s elections in Armenia are significant, both for its citizens and for a region facing conflict, external pressure, and disinformation from the Russian Federation and its ideological and political allies. At EPDE, we have observed that small democracies often face comparable challenges: external funding influencing campaigns, rapid spread of online FIMI, and pressure on […]
GNDEM | Global launch of the first-ever report on the Global State of Nonpartisan Citizen Election Observers’ Rights.
The Global Network for Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) recently published the first ever “Report on the Global State of Nonpartisan Citizen Election Observers’ Rights”, based on a study of 66 organizations across 53 countries. On 3 February, 1–3 PM UTC, GNDEM is hosting a global launch webinar on the findings from the study, detailing the […]
Statement on the arbitrary detention of Dr. Sarah Bireete
The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of Dr. Sarah Bireete and the escalating crackdown on civil society in Uganda ahead of the 15 January 2026 elections. EPDE calls on the Ugandan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release her. EPDE further urges the authorities to guarantee Dr. Bireete’s safety, to […]
Webinar: Moldova Lessons Informing Armenia’s 2026 Election | 19 January 2026 | 14:30 CET
The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE), in cooperation with Transparency International Anticorruption Center, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor, and the Promo-LEX Association, is pleased to invite you to the webinar “Moldova Lessons Informing Armenia’s 2026 election.” The session will present lessons from Moldova’s 2024–2025 elections and apply them to Armenia’s 2026 pre-election challenges. The discussion […]
GNDEM Expresses Serious Concern about Arrest of Leading Uganda Nonpartisan Citizen Observer and GNDEM Chairperson
The Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) expresses its serious concern regarding the arrest of Dr. Sarah Bireete in advance of Uganda upcoming general elections on 15 January 2026. Dr. Bireete is a leading Ugandan nonpartisan citizen observer and respected human rights lawyer who is Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG) based in Kampala, Uganda. […]
REM: Electoral expert on preparations for Russia’s 2026 State Duma elections
In 2026, Russia will hold its second most significant electoral event after the presidential vote — elections to the State Duma. At the same time, voters will also elect regional governors (in at least seven regions, including Chechnya), regional legislative assemblies (in 39 regions, including St. Petersburg, the Moscow and Leningrad regions), and city councils […]
Statement by the Viasna Human Rights Center on the release of political prisoners on December 13
The Viasna Human Rights Center welcomes the release of Ales Bialiatski, Uladz Labkovich, and other Belarusian political prisoners on December 13, 2025. This event was the result of long-term, consistent, and principled efforts by the Belarusian society, the international democratic community, international organizations, and diplomacy of the United States of America and European democracies, which for many years have […]
REM: Election Update December 2025
Main political developments in Russia continue to revolve around preparations for the 2026 State Duma campaign. Within the presidential administration, discussions focus on the desired configuration of the party system and the electoral scenarios the Kremlin may pursue. The key source of uncertainty remains Russia’s nearly four-year war against Ukraine and the growing public fatigue — a factor […]
OPORA Presented a Security Audit in 11 Hromadas to Assess the Possibility of Holding Elections
Civil Network OPORA presented the results of monitoring 11 hromadas regarding the possibility of holding elections there. The results were made public during a roundtable discussion titled “Assessing the Security Situation in Hromadas: The First Step Toward Safe Postwar Elections” on December 12. For this study, both large and small hromadas with different levels of […]