Decline of political race and total fraud
The parliamentary elections were once again marred by gross violations of both Belarusian legislation and international standards, representatives of “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”, a nation-wide election observation coalition, said at a press conference in Minsk. Aleh Hulak (Belarusian Helsinki Committee) and Uladzimir Labkovich (Human Rights Center “Viasna”) say each electoral phase (formation of election commissions, registration of […]
Open letter of Georgian civil society regarding the failed vote on electoral reform
REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze In Tbilisi protesters have gathered around the parliament this weekend following a failed vote in parliament on 14 November to pass amendments to the constitution allowing for the introduction of a fully proportional electoral system.Local NGOs, such as our member International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) have written an open […]
We are hiring: Social Media Manager
We are looking for a Social Media Manager for the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) in Berlin for an immediate start, who will strengthen our online presence and support our public relations work. The responsibilities include – Regular publishing of content for social media – Editing short videos for our website and […]
Early Voting: Official turnout figures exaggerated and cases of coercion of participants to vote
SUMMARY – the official turnout for early voting is reported at 35.77%, which is the record high for the parliamentary elections since 2008; – observation of early voting was conducted by 160 observers of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” at more than 94 polling stations throughout the country; – as before, participation […]
Call for researchers and international experts on elections
The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) seeks an international expert or a group of experts to conduct research based on its “Catalogue of Recommendations on Electoral Reform”, a database collecting recommendations issued by citizen observer organizations and EPDE members in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine as well as different citizen election observers […]
Promo-LEX: E-Day 2nd Round Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Opening and closing of polling stations (PSs). All polling stations monitored by the short-term observers of the Promo-LEX OM opened regularly, without any essential deviations from the applicable legal provisions. About 60 % of the PSs have been rated by observers as accessible. Only 58% of the PSs have been ensured with heating […]
Policy Alert #1 – Consolidating Democratic Transition in Armenia
In March 2019, the Parliamentary factions started a dialogue on the priorities of the electoral reforms and established a timeline that included changes to the Law on Political Parties, electoral system for local government, Constitutional Amendments, and larger amendments to the Electoral Code focusing on the Parliamentary elections. Our members, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – […]
Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections considers that the general local elections were generally free and partially fair
The Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections considers that the general local elections of October 20 – November 3, 2019, were generally free and partially fair. This opinion is based on the assessment of the adherence to the principles of free and fair elections by all election stakeholders and on the following findings regarding the pre-election […]
EU must strengthen its support for citizen election observation
Photo: GNDEM Panel Discussion Representatives from the EPDE travelled to Brussels to advocate for strengthened support by the EU for independent citizen election observation in the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood. In our latest study we have found that domestic election observers still face hurdles in many countries of the region, with Russia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus […]
Censorship and penalties: Parliamentary elections worse than ever
This year’s parliamentary elections have already been marred by multiple instances of arbitrary interpretation of electoral laws, Uladzimir Labkovich, coordinator of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections”, said in a comment on the case of candidate Uladzimir Zahryshau running in Babrujsk. The candidate was among a few other people across Belarus who were penalized by the […]
