News and press releases

In Montenegro, the majority of people with disabilities think that election management bodies do not offer enough support, which makes voters with disabilities feel left out. 54 per cent of them said they faced barriers while voting in the 2023 elections. A further 45 per cent of voters thought polling station staff did not know how to approach and communicate with them.

SARAJEVO – Yesterday’s local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina were competitive and efficiently prepared with fundamental freedoms respected, following extensive changes to election legislation imposed by the High Representative to increase the integrity of the election process, despite insufficient efforts to promote public engagement, international observers said in a statement today.

WASHINGTON D.C., 1 October 2024- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 5 November general elections in the United States, following an invitation from the national authorities.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are becoming ever more important to the election process, which brings both challenges and opportunities, experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in presenting a new edition of the Handbook for Observation of ICT in Elections at an event during the 2024 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

Between 16 and 28 September 2024, the OSCE Mission to BiH (Mission) has successfully concluded a series of pre-election debates, an essential component of the democratic process, aimed at ensuring citizens are well-informed about the candidates and their platforms. These debates took place in the

TASHKENT, 25 September 2024- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 27 October parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan, following an official invitation from the national authorities.

North Macedonia’s 2024 presidential and early parliamentary elections were competitive, and voters had the opportunity to make informed choices. However, while the legal framework provides the basis for democratic elections, it lacks sufficient regulation for a presidential contest, and recent changes introduced without sufficient transparency and public consultation. Election day was assessed positively overall, with voting procedures largely respected, although some election boards did not fully follow procedures during the count. Rules creating a direct link between public financing of campaigns and media opportunities for candidates disproportionately favoured the major political parties.