Elections

ODIHR supports electoral reform processes in Mediterranean Partner States by helping to ensure that legislation and practices meet international obligations and commitments, as well as through the training of citizen election observers.

Election observation can help to deter electoral fraud and violations, and promotes confidence in the honesty and integrity of the electoral process. ODIHR has a wealth of experience in training election observers. Drawing upon its experience of similar democratic transitions within the OSCE region, ODIHR has developed an observation methodology that can be readily adopted by domestic observer groups in OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation and elsewhere. To support this, ODIHR has published a series of handbooks that provide a detailed description of the ODIHR observation methodology.

ODIHR also supports electoral reform processes in helping to ensure that legislation and practices meet international obligations and commitments. In this respect, ODIHR can review current or draft election-related legislation in the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation.

OSCE/ODIHR Workshop on Election Observation and Human Rights for Egyptian NGOs, Warsaw, 26-28 July 2011

Fifteen civil society representatives from Egypt attended a three-day training workshop in Warsaw on election monitoring and human rights organized by ODIHR in co-operation with the Lithuanian Chairmanship of the OSCE. Sessions focused on international human rights standards, monitoring human rights, election observation, women’s participation in political life, and addressing intolerance and hate crimes.

OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Training, Budva, 12-15 October 2011

ODIHR organized a four-day workshop on election observation methodology for representatives of civil society organizations from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The objective of the training was to familiarize the 15 participants with regional and international standards for democratic elections and to acquaint them with ODIHR’s election observation methodology and reporting instruments.  Participants were also provided with insight into the electoral cycle, electoral practice in other countries, as well as good practices in election observation, covering various aspects of elections including media, voter registration, candidate registration, complaints and appeals procedures and women’s participation.