Third interim report: Polling stations abroad set up according to civil society recommendation
The process of setting up polling stations (PS) abroad (outside of diplomatic mission premises) was An executive summary of the report can be found here More reports on the election in Moldova can be found here
Press conference on election campaign
The most prevalent cases of electoral misconduct in September in Ukraine related to illegal campaigning, according to Civil Network OPORA, who shared their findings at a press conference on October 2nd in Kyiv. However, OPORA considers the most alarming cases, with the gravest consequences for the democratic election process, to include material incentives for voters […]
Viasna receives Alternative Nobel Prize
Image: rightlivelihoodaward.org The Swedish Right Livelihood Foundation named today the winners of its annual award, popularly called the Alternative Nobel Prize. This year’s laureates include the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and its chairman Ales Bialiatski. Other laureates are the imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, US civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson and indigenous rights and environmental activist Lottie Cunningham […]
Convicted protesters in Maladziečna are political prisoners
Photo: Viasna Minsk – September 30, 2020 On September 29, the Maladziečna District Court Guidelines on the Definition of Political Prisoners, adopted at the 3rd Belarusian Human Rights Forum, we, representatives of Belarusian human rights organizations, consider Uladzislau Yeustsihneyeu and Pavel Piaskou political prisoners and urge the authorities to: immediately release them from custody; review measures […]
Monitoring of Political Ads on Facebook over first half September
What party or candidate spent the most, who shares ads with mistakes, and what Ukrainian party paid for Facebook ads in RUB. In the beginning of autumn, most politicians and political forces planning to run for local elections have become more active in social media. OPORA has explored activity levels of political parties on Facebook in June […]
Call for donations – Help Defend Human Rights and Free Elections in Belarus
You can donate on the HelpMundo donation platform here: https://www.helpmundo.de/helptools/kampagne/102_help-defend-human-rights-and-free-elections-in-belarus Assist those that have faced repression and have been detained, and those that risk their lives to monitor the situation in Belarus and call attention to the massive scale of electoral fraud and human rights violations in the country. We are collecting donations for: – Legal […]
Belarus: What would be needed to hold new elections?
On 24 September, EPDE co-hosted an online debate with Democracy Reporting International inviting a dozen election experts from Belarus and beyond to discuss conditions for future elections. The discussion was held under the Chatham House Rule. While it currently does not look likely that the protesters’ demands for repeat presidential elections will be heeded, it is too early to […]
CSO statement of concern over draft law that may remove oversight provisions over campaign finance
Image source: Civil Network Opora JOINT STATEMENT on the change of provisions of election legislation on the functioning of election funds and exercise of state control over them in local elections September 28th, 2020 The signatories of this statement express their concern about the possible changes in the provisions of the election legislation regarding […]
Polling stations abroad – a controversial and non-transparent process
Image source: ipn.md On November 1, 2020 Moldova will hold the first round of presidential elections. Like in 2016, the final election results will considerably depend on the voting of two groups of constituents – Moldovan diaspora and Moldovan citizens residing in the Transnistrian region. The undue increase of polling stations especially in the […]
Policy Alert #5 – Armenia’s Stable Majority Constitutional Provisions Under Review
Armenian Constitution voted for in 2015. Image source: vestnikkavkaza.net Bonus seats and the specter of a non-competitive “second round” election are viewed as threats to the democratic process by civil society groups and reform-minded MPs. In order to fully remove them from the constitution, guarantees for a “stable majority” need to be replaced with […]