Conditions to be met to hold a national referendum on security issues
In Ukraine, a national referendum on the issues of a security treaty can be called only by a popular initiative. For the referendum to be in accordance with the national legislation and democratic standards, Russian troops should withdraw from Ukraine, necessary infrastructure should be restored, and Ukrainian internal migrants and refugees should be given the […]
Túl sok volt az EBESZ, az Orbán-kormány elkezdett Fidesz-barát ellenőrökkel trükközni
Evaluation of the 2022 By-Elections of the Parliament of Georgia and the City Council of Batumi Municipality
Main Findings On the 2nd of April by-elections was held in the majoritarian districts of Rustavi-Gardabani and Batumi. Based on the ISFED monitoring mission, the following findings can be presented: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the barbarian war has had a significant impact on the pre-election environment. Therefore, the attention of political entities and a […]
Government-Friendly Election Observers at the 2022 Hungarian Parliamentary Elections
For the first time in the history of any EU Member State, Orbán’s government invited dozens of friendly politicians, journalists and civil society activists whose aim was to endorse the elections. Those friendly observers – among them members of the European Parliament and of the PACE of the Council of Europe – praised the conduct […]
European Union must support Hungarian civil society to strengthen democratic institutions and fair elections
The parliamentary elections in Hungary once again showed that democratic institutions in the country are at risk. International observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), as well as the NGO-observers from the European Network of Election Observation Organizations (ENEMO) attested the lack […]
Human Rights Situation in Belarus: March 2022
Summary The ongoing war in Ukraine and its consequences have radically changed the current agenda in Europe and in the world; democratic countries have imposed new sanctions and restrictions on Belarus because of the Belarusian authorities’ support for Russia’s aggression. The Human Rights Center Viasna strongly increase steadily. Members of the Human Rights Center Viasna continue […]
Government-Friendly Election Observers at the 2022 Hungarian Parliamentary Elections
Image description 1st from left: Jerzy Kwasniewski, President and co-founder of Ordo Iuris Institute (photo: https://en.ordoiuris.pl/attorney-jerzy-kwasniewski); 2nd from left: Harald Vilimsky, Member of the European Parliament, I&D Group, FPÖ Austria (photo: https://kurier.at/politik/inland/fpoe-als-wahlbeobachter-in-ungarn/401955484); 3rd from left: Branko Grims, Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Slovenian Democratic Party (photo: https://demokracija.eu/focus/video-branko-grims-tells-the-european-parliament-we-need-a-strong-europe-a-europe-of-values/). In anticipation of […]
EPDE member SILC co-founds citizen election observation organization VOS ahead of the 2022 general elections
EPDE member Swedish International Liberal Center (Silc) co-founded VOS – föreningen valobservation i Sverige – on 24 of March 2022, in cooperation with a group of election observers that have previously conducted election observation within the framework of the four party affiliated foundations Silc, the Palme Center, Green Forum, and CIS. VOS is the only […]
Parliamentary elections in Hungary – prospects for political change?
On 3 April, Hungary will hold its highly anticipated parliamentary elections as well as a national referendum on “child-protection measures” which is widely seen as being used to promote the government’s anti-LGBTQ+ narrative. The elections are being held while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues across the border and an influx of refugees flee to […]
A tilted playing field favors the government in Hungary’s April 3 parliamentary elections
Parliamentary elections are taking place in Hungary on April 3 and will be decided among two political blocks in an unprecedentedly polarized environment. Several concerns raised regarding the elections relate to the legal environment, while others to the uneven playing field, especially regarding the media landscape and campaign financing, which all tilt the playing field […]