Changes to Armenia’s Political Party Regulation: toward more transparent party financing
Prior to the COVID-19 state of emergency disrupting ongoing reform processes and the scheduled constitutional referendum, a new law on political parties was supposed to be amended and passed by June 2020. Most of the new provisions were welcomed by international experts. The draft law includes provisions that would make state funding for parties contingent […]
Policy Alert # 2 – Changes to Armenia’s Political Party Regulation: toward more transparent party financing
Image source: gmfus.org On March 20, 2020, the European Commission for Democracy Through Law (Venice Commission, VC) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) published their Joint Opinion on Draft Amendments to the Legislation Concerning Political Parties, by request of Armenia’s National Assembly. The changes were largely welcomed with a […]
Russian information operation in Georgia – Sputnik’s coordinated network on Facebook
sputniknews.com Georgian EPDE member organization ISFED uncovered a Russian information operation on Facebook in Georgia. ISFED explains the coordinated scheme used to promote and amplify Sputnik content among Facebook users in Georgia. ISFED discovered 11 disguised Facebook pages and 17 inauthentic Facebook profiles that spread Sputnik materials in an organized and coordinated manner. Specifically: […]
Final observation mission report on parliamentary by-elections
PromoLex notes in its final report on the by-elections in Hincesti raion that there are still several legislative gaps that must be addressed concerning the need for clear regulation of indirect campaign financing by parties not registered to compete in this election. PromoLex also reports on procedural errors in the consideration and resolution of complaints […]
Election Alert #4 – How corona thwarts Putin’s plan to change the constitution
The pandemic has interrupted Putin’s fast-track constitutional amendment project that would have allowed him to stay in power beyond 2024. An understanding that his popular support may be waning was likely behind the haste. What started as a fail-proof political project is now an uncertain race against a natural calamity. Whenever the vote will take […]
Policy Alert #4 – How corona thwarts Putin’s plan to change the constitution
Photo: msn.com Fast tracking the president’s constitutional changes The year 2020 was set to bolster Putin’s leadership of Russia’s politics but the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with the Kremlin’s script. In his January 15, 2020, address to the Federal Assembly, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin surprised many by announcing sweeping constitutional changes. Putin, […]
Final report on by-elections
The Final Report of the Observation Mission (OM) for the New Parliamentary Elections in the single-member constituency (SMC) no. 38 from Hincesti, published today on the official website of the Promo-LEX Association (www.promolex.md), contains the facts, conclusions and recommendations established by the Election Observation Mission. Taking into account the approaching presidential elections, the OM draws […]
Problematic International Observation of the Azerbaijani 2020 Parliamentary Elections
In this latest EPDE report, Anton Shekhovtsov investigates how politically biased international election observers were used by Azerbaijani authorities to relativize critical findings of the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan.
Problematic International Observation of the Azerbaijani 2020 Parliamentary Elections
In this latest EPDE report, Anton Shekhovtsov investigates how politically biased international election observers, including several current and former European parliamentarians, were used by Azerbaijani authorities to relativize critical findings of the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to the early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. Executive summary – Western experts consider the regime of Azerbaijani President […]
Reported leak of voter data raises questions
March 30 report of a news website ZDnet about leak of personal details of Georgian voters raises a number of questions. According to the news website, on March 28, a database of 4,934,863 Georgian citizens was shared on a hacker forum, containing full names, home addresses, dates of birth, ID numbers, mobile phone numbers and other data. […]