Germany, parliamentary elections 2021: ODIHR election expert team final report

The 26 September 2021 elections to the German Parliament (Bundestag) were generally well organized, and the election administration enjoyed stakeholder confidence notwithstanding some procedural issues reported and observed in Berlin. Overall, the postal voting system contains sufficient safeguards against fraud, and enjoys the confidence of voters. The regulation, reporting requirements and oversight of political party finance were of concern, as these do not provide for sufficient transparency.

These are some of the main conclusions of the final report on the elections published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The report offers 10 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections and to support efforts to bring them further in line with OSCE commitments, as well as other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.

Key recommendations include:

• Establishing an independent political finance monitoring and oversight body with a clear and effective mandate;

• Requiring more timely disclosure of party and campaign finances, including more detailed reporting on campaign expenditures;

• Establishing a limit on donations to parties by individuals and legal entities;

• Introducing detailed rules regulating loans for political parties;

• Developing a system indicating the receipt of postal ballots by the relevant authorities.