News and press releases

SKOPJE, 16 October 2017 – The holding of the 15 October municipal elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia contributed to strengthening confidence in the democratic process, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. The elections took place in a competitive environment, with candidates generally able to campaign without restriction, and the fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression were respected overall. Some credible allegations of vote-buying, pressure on voters and isolated cases of violence occurred during the pre-election period. The monitored media provided unbiased coverage of contestants and facilitated the opportunity for political debate. Although some procedural irregularities were observed, election day generally proceeded in an orderly fashion, the observers said.

The third edition of the OSCE Dialogue Academy for young women from Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade concluded on 15 October 2017 in Stadtschlaining, Austria. The ten-day Academy was organized as part of the Follow Us Initiative, supported since 2012 by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the OSCE Mission to Serbia, as part of their work to enhance women's participation in dialogue and conflict resolution and decision making processes.

GENEVA, Switzerland, 16 October 2017- The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a summit today in Geneva, Switzerland. Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov also attended the meeting, which was organized under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America). The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the summit.

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized the first in a series of public debates for young people on 12 October 2017, aiming to develop their public speaking and reasoning skills. About 50 high school students and teachers gathered at Vasil Levski Lyceum in Chisinau to participate in the debate and observe new ways of learning through interaction...

A training workshop on conflict management for the Montenegrin parliamentary services concluded on 13 October 2017 in Podgorica. The two-day workshop was organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in collaboration with the Parliamentary Human Resources department.

An eight-day OSCE regional course “Management of Specialist Demilitarization Activities” for some 40 military and civilian experts focusing on Advanced Explosive Ordnance Disposal Level 3 Plus began on 16 October 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

BISHKEK, 16 October 2017 – The 15 October presidential election in Kyrgyzstan contributed to the strengthening of democratic institutions by providing for an orderly transfer of power from one elected president to another, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. The election was competitive, as voters had a broad choice and candidates could generally campaign freely, although cases of the misuse of public resources, pressure on voters and vote buying remain a concern, the observers said.