EPDE at the Council of Europe | How Institutions Can Resist Capture and Rebuild Trust: Lessons from PACE
On 28–29 April 2026, the Council of Europe, together with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and the Venice Commission, held a high-level conference in Paris under the New Democratic Pact for Europe. The event brought together policymakers, election bodies, and civil society, including members […]
Update from the EPDE Secretariat
On 1 May, Adam Busuleanu, our long-standing Team Lead and Program Manager, will be leaving the European Exchange and the EPDE Secretariat team. Adam joined the European Exchange in 2008 and has since made an invaluable contribution to the growth and direction of our work. He was instrumental in shaping the European Exchange’s election observation activities and played a central role in building EPDE from its founding in […]
GNDEM Analysis Finds Uganda’s Proposed “Protection of Sovereignty” Bill an Excessive and Dangerous Throttle on Civic Participation
The Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) has been following efforts to restrict citizen election observers from supporting transparent and accountable political processes, including through the manipulation of the legal framework. This includes, most recently, Uganda’s proposed Protection of Sovereignty Bill which would eliminate, silence, and bring under state control a wide range of […]
Russian Election Monitor: Kremlin’s new fake electoral observation ecosystem: From domestic mimicry to global scaling
The Russian State Duma elections in September 2026 will become a major testing ground for the Kremlin’s new institutionalized strategy of international observation. However, it seems that the ultimate goal is not the Duma elections as such, but the creation of a permanent, scalable model of authoritarian legitimation. On 14-15 April 2026, Moscow hosted the […]
Azerbaijan | Free Anar Mammadli: Two Years of Arbitrary Detention Must End
On 29 April 2024 – two years ago tomorrow – Anar Mammadli, EPDE co-founder and head of our Azerbaijani member organization, the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre (EMDS), was detained by Azerbaijani authorities on politically motivated charges. Anar remains in detention under escalated and unsubstantiated accusations, emblematic of the repressive environment facing civil society […]
Dr. Beata Martin-Rozumiłowicz joins EPDE Advisory Council
The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) announces that Dr. Beata Martin-Rozumiłowicz joined the EPDE Advisory Council. The Advisory Council supports the EPDE Board and Secretariat in shaping the platform’s strategic development, enhancing programmatic impact, and expanding partnerships that safeguard democratic values in Europe and beyond. Dr. Beata Martin-Rozumiłowicz is an Electoral Expert with more […]
Hungary: Post-Election Round Table “Conclusion and Findings from the Parliamentary Elections in Hungary”
On April 13, 2026, following E-day, EPDE hosted a high-level round table discussion on Hungary’s 2026 parliamentary elections, with representatives of the diplomatic corps, civil society and think tanks. The speakers, Stefanie Schiffer (Chair of Board, EPDE), Marta Pardavi (Co-chair, Hungarian Helsinki Committee), Michael Meyer-Resende (Executive Director, Democracy Reporting International), Zsofia Banuta (Co-founder, Unhack Democracy), […]
Russian Election Monitor: “Fake Observation for Fake Elections. Now ‘International'”
The Kremlin has launched what it calls the first “independent international association” for electoral monitoring. Formed at a conference in Moscow with delegates from 60 countries, this body is designed to provide an alternative to Western observation standards, which Sergei Lavrov and Ella Pamfilova dismiss as “politicized.” Non-Interference or Non-Observation? The association’s primary goal is […]
Hungary: International Observers Call for Electoral Reform to Enable Citizen Election Monitoring
The 2026 parliamentary elections in Hungary have been conducted in a polarized and contested political environment. Voter mobilization as well as international attention to these elections were extremely high as its outcome may have far-reaching consequences not only for the future of Hungary but also of its neighboring countries and the European Union as a […]
Senior Election Expert and Team Lead, European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE), part-time (80-90%)
The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) is seeking a Senior Election Expert and Team Lead (m/f/d) to strengthen and develop citizen election observation organizations in the EU and its neighborhood, thereby defending free and fair elections on the continent. The EPDE is a network of 17 independent European citizen election observation organizations. Over the […]