Weekly report: mass arrests and detentions of opposition activists
Observation of the presidential election is carried out by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center “Viasna” in the framework of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”. SUMMARY during the period of the report, the registered nomination groups continued to collect signatures to support the nomination of candidates for President of […]
Verkhovna Rada adopts changes to the Electoral Code
Verkhovna Rada adopted the draft law No. 3485 “On Introducing Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Improving Electoral Law,” in the first reading. It introduces changes to the Electoral Code. The decision was supported by 292 MPs. The draft law also took into account certain proposals from the Civil Network OPORA. On June, 4, during […]
ISFED uncovers further false media pages that survived the Facebook takedown
In April 2020, Facebook removed 943 pages, profiles, groups and Instagram accounts engaged in domestic political campaigns in Georgia, for coordinated inauthentic behavior. Among them was a network of false media pages identified by ISFED. The primary tactic of false media pages removed in April was sharing of posts in public and private groups through the use of Facebook […]
ODIHR releases further opinion document on new Draft Act on conduct of Presidential election
On 14 May 2020, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (hereinafter “ODIHR”) received a request from Dr. Adam Bodnar, Commissioner for Human Rights of Poland, to provide a legal opinion (hereinafter “opinion”) on the Draft Act on special rules for the organisation of the general election of the President of the Republic […]
Weekly report: crackdowns against nomination groups and activists
Observation of the presidential election is carried out by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Human Rights Center “Viasna” in the framework of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”. SUMMARY as compared to the previous presidential election, this year’s campaign, despite the COVID-19 crisis, is characterized by widespread media and street activity of […]
MEPs ‘deeply worried’ by nationwide crackdown and discriminatory election processes ahead of Presidential election
In a joint statement, MEPs Robert Biedroń, chair of the delegation for relations with Belarus, and Petras Auštrevičius, EP’s standing rapporteur on Belarus, voiced their concerns over the crackdowns on peaceful protesters and civil society activists ahead of the Presidential election and over the discriminatory approach in which territorial election commissions have been composed, with […]
Situation around Presidential election unconstitutional?
A campaign poster for Andrzej Duda outside a house near Warsaw. Image source: Janek Skarżyński/AFP via Getty Images Statement by the Political Accountability Foundation on amendments to the election law as of May 24, 2020 The Political Accountability Foundation (PAF) would like to express its concern regarding specific provisions included in the Act of […]
Policy Alert # 4 – Armenia explores alternative to referendum on Constitutional Court
Image source: massispost.com Armenia was supposed to hold a referendum on April 5, 2020, on whether to replace 7 of its 9 Constitutional Court judges. The referendum was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is now seen as too great a risk to public health to go ahead. An alternative approach has been […]
Promo-LEX records lowest rate of party finance reporting to the CEC for 2019 compared to 2014-2018
The civic monitoring of political party financing in 2019, carried out by the Promo-LEX Association, revealed unsettled legislative loopholes, unreported expenses amounting to about 19.02 million lei, as well as a law level of financial reporting to the CEC. Promo-LEX warns about parties’ low level of financial reporting This year, for the first time since 201 4, Promo-LEX found the lowest rate of party financial management annual reporting to […]
Policy Alert # 2 – Electoral system agreement should be implemented without further delay
Image source: Thiago B Trevisan/Shutterstock Five months before the 2020 Parliamentary Elections in Georgia, there is still uncertainty over the electoral system under which these elections will take place. While a breakthrough agreement about the system was reached on March 8, 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent state of emergency has halted the process […]