Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan: EU Must Stop Trading Away its Principles
The following statement has been published by the Campaign to End Repression in Azerbaijan: For immediate release: Baku, Brussels, Geneva, 9 December 2025 — Azerbaijan’s geopolitical relevance has grown through its control of energy routes and its balancing act in the oil and gas market. At the same time, the EU shifted from a values-based […]
EPDE Enhances Strategic Capacity with Newly Expanded Board
Berlin, 2.12.2025: The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE), a network of 17 European citizen election observation organizations, has elected a new Board to guide its work over the next two years. The expanded Board, previously comprising three members, will help the EPDE in addressing the increasingly complex challenges facing democratic elections in Europe today. […]
EPDE Expands Cooperation with African Election Observer Networks
Capacity Building with E-HORN and ELOG As part of growing cooperation with African observer organisations, EPDE conducted three joint trainings with the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network (E-HORN), in collaboration with Kenya’s Election Observation Group (ELOG). These sessions focused on social media monitoring – an increasingly critical area for detecting disinformation, coordinated […]
Georgia | ISFED: Abolishing the Possibility of Voting from Abroad in Parliamentary Elections Would Seriously Undermine the Principle of Universal Suffrage
Following a statement made by Shalva Papuashvili on 17 November, the Georgian Dream party plans to abolish the possibility of voting from abroad in parliamentary elections through amendments to the Election Code. EPDE member International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) issued a statement calling on the Georgian Dream-led parliament not to support the abolition of […]
Zero Day Attack – Public Screening & Discussion | Deutsch-Taiwanische Gesellschaft e.V
On Tuesday, 12 November, at the Zeiss-Großplanetarium, the panel discussion “Zero Day Attack – Public Screening & Discussion”, organised by the Deutsch-Taiwanische Gesellschaft e.V., offered an important conversation on how vulnerable democracies can be to foreign interference, disinformation, and efforts to erode public trust – challenges felt in Europe just as much as in East […]
FURIC 2025 | Concluding Document and Recommendations
Against the backdrop of intensifying digital interference and rising authoritarian influence, FURIC 2025 focused on measures to ensure transparency, accountability, and public trust in elections. Building on past recommendations, the conference set concrete priorities: enhancing collaboration among stakeholders, countering disinformation and foreign interference, and addressing emerging risks such as algorithmic manipulation and hybrid threats. With […]
WHDC Side Event: Citizen Observation under Pressure: Safeguarding the Space to Monitor Elections
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: Speakers Moderated by Zofia Lutkiewicz, […]
Moldova’s 2025 Parliamentary Elections: A Test of Democratic Resilience Under Hybrid Pressures
Moldova’s parliamentary elections on September 28, 2025, demonstrated both the country’s commitment to democratic standards and the serious challenges it faces from foreign interference coming from the Russian Federation and its local proxies. Despite all this, international observers assessed the vote as “competitive and offering voters a clear choice,” though they acknowledged it was “marred […]
Statement | On Credible Election Observation and Institutional Responsibility: EPDE’s Response to the CEC of Georgia
We have reviewed the press release published by the CEC of Georgia on 17 October 2025 in reaction to our statement “The Crisis of Credibility” on fake observers at the Georgian local elections. We appreciate the CEC’s engagement and welcome any opportunity to compare evidence and standards. EPDE’s work is based on the Declaration of […]
Statement | The Crisis of Credibility: Fake Observers at the October 4, 2025, Georgian Local Elections
The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) identified 29 fake observers who assisted the Georgian government in lending an appearance of legitimacy to the local elections on October 4, 2025. It is the second time that the Georgian ruling party, “Georgian Dream,” has invited politically biased observers to obscure irregularities flagged by credible observers in […]