Electoral Campaign Finances Reform: What Recommendations of International Observation Missions Were Taken Into Account?
By Bohdan Mohonchuk, Civil Network OPORA For years, Civil Network OPORA has been advocating changes in political finance, as well as engaging in surveys and awareness raising effort in this domain. On July 30, 2024, a discussion took place regarding amendments to the legislation about responsibility for violating the political finances rules. Also, recently, the research was published regarding political parties funding and the […]
Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia: pressure on human rights defenders intensifies
The human rights situation in some post-Soviet countries continues to deteriorate. It is particularly noticeable in Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Viasna offers a selection of repressions against human rights defenders, independent media representatives and public activists in August. Azerbaijan: “Abzas Media Case”, persecution of Anar Mammadli and new political prisoners New charges against those arrested […]
Promo-LEX Association has launched the Observation Mission for the election of 20 October 2024
Promo-LEX Association has launched the Observation Mission for the presidential election and constitutional referendum of 20 October 2024. The observation will cover the entire election period, including election day and, if necessary, the second round of voting. The core team of the Mission and 45 long-term observers (LTOs), together with about 740 short-term observers (STOs), […]
CEC Decree That Alters the Timelines for Casting Lots in Precinct Election Commissions is Inconsistent with the Law
On August 16, 2024, the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC) adopted a decree changing the timelines for casting lots to distribute functions among Precinct Election Commission (PEC) members. According to this decree, the casting of lots will be held for all PECs in advance, no later than 7 days before the voting (election) day. […]
Report on the practice of accountability for participation in the conduct and organization of illegal referendums and elections
Introduction In 2014, russia occupied the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In 2022, they continued their armed aggression against Ukraine with a full-scale invasion, expanding the occupation and seizing certain territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Illegal referendums and elections are an integral part of the Russian war […]
EPDE board member Zofia Lutkiewicz elected to the board of GNDEM
GNDEM: Announcement of the new board, 17 July 2024; Source We are thrilled to announce EPDE board member Zofia Lutkiewicz, Director of the Political Accountability Foundation (Poland), has been elected to the board of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM). Together with her fellow board members, she will work towards GNDEM’s goals to […]
Amending the Armenian Constitution as an Imperative
CSOs have presented effective solutions to address the urgent constitutional challenges that will contribute to the establishment of democratic institutions in the country, and the mitigation of political and social polarization. In particular, these include reviewing the “stable majority” principle for parliament formation and establishing the Parliamentary Ethics Committee of the RA National Assembly, both […]
EPDE calls for the immediate release of Viasna members as they enter fourth year of political imprisonment
On 14 July 2021, our colleagues Ales Bialiatski, founder and chairman of The Human Rights Center Viasna, esteemed human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Valiantsin Stefanovic, deputy chairperson of Viasna and vice-president of FIDH, and lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich, were detained due to their roles as election monitors. In March 2023, Ales was sentenced […]
Assessment findings on the implementation of CEC and CICDE’s strategic plans
Today, 11 July 2024, Promo-LEX presented its report entitled “Implementation of Strategic Plans of the Central Electoral Commission and the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training” (Annual assessment: 2023 and Summing-up report: 2020 – 2023). The report presents an analysis of the development priorities and activities scheduled by CEC and CICDE for the monitored period. CEC […]
Foreign Influence, Disinformation, AI, and Illegal Actions in Digital: What Threatens the Integrity of Political Finance
Money is an essential resource for politics and voter outreach. However, if not effectively regulated, it can compromise the integrity of political processes and democracies. Effective state regulation of funding of political parties and election campaigns (commonly known as political finance) and their implementation are vital for promoting the integrity, transparency, and accountability of democratic […]