General Election, 5 May 2005

In response to an invitation from the delegation of the United Kingdom OSCE, ODIHR deployed an election assessment mission to the 5 May general election.

Headed by Kåre Vollan of Norway, the mission consisted of 11 experts from 10 OSCE participating States.

According to the mission's final report: "The United Kingdom has a long-standing tradition of democratic elections, and the 5 May 2005 general election was conducted in keeping with this tradition. The election was administered in a professional manner and according to well-established procedures that enjoy the overall trust of candidates and voters. The registration process for parties and candidates was generally straightforward, and a substantial number of candidates and parties participated in the election. Voters were thus offered genuine choices in a competitive political environment. The voter turnout was reported as 61.3%."