The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) was set up in December 2012 in Warsaw through 13 independent European citizen election observation organizations.
The aim of EPDE is to support citizen election observation and to contribute to democratic election processes throughout Europe. EPDE improves the professional quality of its member organizations through peer-learning, tailored training and expert missions, and informs internationally about the findings of its member organizations.
EPDE encourages, trains and supports experts and citizens who stand up for transparent and equal suffrage wherever it is at risk in Europe – be it in the European Union’s member states, the Eastern Partnership countries, or the Russian Federation.
EPDE is a signatory of the Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and the Code of Conduct for Nonpartisan Election Observation. EPDE also is a member of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM).
Stefanie Schiffer, European Exchange, Germany
Chair of the Board
Stefanie Schiffer is the Founder and Director of European Exchange gGmbH in Berlin and serves as Chair of the Board of the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE). Stefanie Schiffer studied Slavonic languages and Eastern European History in Tübingen and Munich. She has extensive experience working with civil society organizations in Eastern Europe. She has been a founding member and initiator of several civil society cooperation programs and international platforms, including the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, the EPDE, the Kyiv Dialogue, and the Initiative Quorum. Additionally, she has served as an advisor to the board of the Marion Dönhoff Foundation and the filia.die frauenstiftung, is a member of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and sits on the board of Human Rights in Belarus e.V.
Zofia Lutkiewicz, Political Accountability Foundation, Poland
Board
Zofia Lutkiewicz is a democracy and civil society expert focused on electoral integrity and citizen engagement across Europe and globally. As President of the Political Accountability Foundation (PAF), she leads Poland’s non-partisan election observation efforts and promotes comprehensive electoral reform. She serves on the boards of the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) and the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) where she works to tackle global threats to election integrity. Her experience advancing democracy and civil society development in Belarus, Russia, and Uzbekistan, including from the EU level, informs her strategic, values-driven approach grounded in non-partisanship, solidarity, and civic empowerment.
Emin Abbasov, human rights lawyer, Azerbaijan
Board
Emin Abbasov is a leading Azerbaijani human rights lawyer with over 15 years of professional experience in legal research and analysis, strategic litigations, legal defence, international proceedings and advocacy. He defends civic space, rights and freedoms, persecuted and intimidated lawyers, and legal protection to journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society actors. His work spans key thematic areas including the prohibition of torture, fair trial rights, right to freedom of expression and association, with cases reaching the European Court of Human Rights and UN bodies. Emin, together with his international colleagues, also defends the rights of Anar Mammadli — co-founder and chair of EMDS, and founding member of the EPDE — before international courts and quasi-judicial instances.
Patrick Merloe
Patrick Merloe has over 40 years of expertise in promoting citizen empowerment, governmental accountability, and public policy advocacy. He previously served as NDI’s senior associate and director of electoral programs from 1993 to 2022. Throughout his career, he has participated in over 190 international missions to more than 65 countries, focusing on political rights, electoral integrity, and democratic development. Mr. Merloe played a key role in drafting and negotiating the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which has been endorsed by over 50 international organizations. Additionally, he facilitated the process that resulted in the Declaration of Global Principles for nonpartisan election monitoring by citizen organizations, which was promulgated by the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) and endorsed by over 290 organizations from more than 85 countries.
Photo: European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE)
Nacho Sánchez Amor
Nacho Sanchez Amor has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. He is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Subcommittee on Human Rights, the Delegation to the EU-Türkiye Joint Parliamentary Committee, and the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.
Nacho is actively involved in the EP´s democracy support and election observation efforts. Member of the EP’s Democracy and Election Group (DEG), he has been the leading member for the organization of the DoP Implementation Meeting of 2022 and internal reflection processes on election observation. He has an extensive experience in international policy, human rights and election observation -having conducted more than 25 EU, EP and ODIHR election observation missions, several of them as chief observer.
Photo: European Union 2025 – Source : EP
Marietje Schaake
Marietje Schaake is currently a non-resident fellow at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. Marietje is a former Dutch MEP (2009-2019, ALDE) focusing on trade, foreign affairs, and cyber security policies. She served as Advisor on Artificial Intelligence to UN’s Secretary General Guterres and as independent special advisor to the executive vice-president of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager.
EPDE is financially supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and the European Union
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