Election observation must be impartial and non-politicized to be credible, ODIHR Director says at high-level discussion

For international election observation to be credible and effective, it must be impartial and non-politicized, Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said at a high-level panel discussion with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, and former US President Jimmy Carter in Brussels on 4 October 2011.

“I firmly believe that by providing credible, impartial, depoliticized and professional election observation missions that lead to quality recommendations, combined with an effective follow-up strategy and commensurate political will, we are successfully contributing to establishing a powerful mechanism for democracy promotion,” Lenarčič said.

The discussion took place during a meeting of the signatories of the Declaration of Principles and Code of Conduct for international election observers. These documents bring together observer groups committed to professional and credible election monitoring.