News and press releases

SARAJEVO, 21 May 2025- Following the adoption of the Law on financing of political organizations before the Republika Srpska National Assembly (RSNA), the OSCE Mission to BiH cautions authorities in Republika Srpska that the adoption of such a law risks (i) expanding the space for political corruption and creating unequal treatment between governing and opposition parties; and (ii) undermining the right of all political actors in Republika Srpska to pursue their political objectives through democratic means. Moreover, it does not establish adequate sanctions for violations of provisions of this law. The OSCE Mission to BiH calls on the RSNA to reassess its adoption.

WARSAW, 19 May 2025 – The first round of Poland’s presidential election offered voters a genuine choice between political options, but it took place against a background of deep political polarization that also impacted some key state institutions involved in the electoral process, international observers said in a statement today.

BUCHAREST, 19 May 2025 – In the strongly-contested second round of Romania’s repeat presidential election, fundamental freedoms of assembly and association were respected. However, defamatory rhetoric, biased media, and persistent inauthentic behaviour online, alongside regulatory gaps and fragmented responses by institutions, limited voters’ opportunity to make an informed choice and impacted public trust, international observers said in a statement today.

BUCHAREST, 16 May 2025 – International election observers will hold a press conference to present their findings following the second round of the repeat presidential election in Romania.

WARSAW, 15 May 2025 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) expresses serious concern following the conviction and sentencing of Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of the independent Russian election monitoring group Golos, to five years in a penal colony, alongside a nine-year ban on public activities, after a verdict by a Moscow court.

On 13 and 14 May, six representatives of the Parliamentary Institute of Montenegro, led by its Head, Nataša Komnenić, undertook a study visit to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

VIENNA, 14 May – Today, Estonia held its first meeting as Chair of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC). Over the course of its tenure as FSC Chair, Estonia will aim to strengthen dialogue and co-operation on security challenges facing the region, notably Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, which has a profound impact on the whole OSCE region.