News and press releases

Croatia’s 2024 early parliamentary elections were competitive, offering voters a broad range of political choices. The legal framework generally provided a sound basis for holding democratic elections, and the election administration enjoyed full confidence in managing all stages of the process. While the media landscape is diverse, concerns remain about the concentration of media ownership and the political affiliation of many media outlets, including the public broadcaster, as well as the high volume of pending litigation against journalists.

VIENNA, 22 November 2024 – The Maltese Chairpersonship of the OSCE, in collaboration with the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) and the 3CL Foundation, organised the Conference on Media Freedom in the OSCE region on 22 November 2024. The event addressed the multiple challenges facing free and independent media in the current digital landscape and their implications for democracy and security.

ERGNETI, 19 November 2024 – The 122th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti today under the co-facilitation of Viorel Moşanu, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus and Tibor Kozma, Deputy Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM).

The OSCE Troika convened the second Annual Meeting of the Expert Network on the OSCE on 11 and 12 November. The Network was launched in November 2023 in Skopje by the OSCE 2023 Chairpersonship of North Macedonia and former Secretary General Helga Schmid. The Network gathers experts, academics and think tanks from various participating States and aims to serve as a point of consultation and dialogue on the three dimensions of the OSCE.

WASHINGTON D.C., 6 November 2024 – Engagement was high across the political spectrum in yesterday’s US elections that underscored the resilience of the country’s democratic institutions. The presidential vote was highly competitive, but the campaign was marked by deep polarization and harsh and confrontational rhetoric, while public trust was undermined by disinformation campaigns and political violence, international observers said in a statement today.

CHISINAU, 4 November 2024 – The 3 November second round of Moldova’s presidential election was administered efficiently and professionally, and offered voters a choice between genuine political alternatives, international observers said in a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions today. Candidates were able to campaign freely, but the quiet, ten-day campaign was marked by an increase in negative rhetoric from across the political spectrum targeting both contestants, often spread through online social networks. The challenges posed by foreign interference and vote-buying continued to reverberate during the run-off campaign, the statement says.

From 15 to 18 October 2024, 24 university students from Uzbekistan had the chance to learn about the OSCE and experience diplomatic negotiations first-hand as they simulated meetings of the OSCE Permanent Council as part of the 2024 Model OSCE. The 4-day event, held in the PCUz office in Tashkent,