News and press releases

Uzbekistan's 2024 parliamentary elections were technically well prepared, but the political environment limited genuine voter choice. While there have been some positive developments in the electoral framework, these elections faced significant challenges in meeting international standards for democratic elections. All five registered political parties campaigned under equal conditions, but their campaigns were low key and avoided challenging the ruling party's policies or each other. Media restrictions further constrained voters' access to diverse viewpoints. Election day was calm and orderly, but it was marked by numerous violations and procedural problems.

WARSAW, 24 February 2025 – As we mark the third year since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, efforts to uphold justice and achieve accountability remain crucial for a just and lasting peace, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today.

HELSINKI, 10 February 2025 – Governments, civil society, representatives of Jewish and other faith communities, as well as experts from across the OSCE region meet this week to take stock of current efforts to counter anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance and find new ways forward to tackle this deep-rooted hatred at the annual Conference on Addressing Anti-Semitism in the OSCE Region, which opened today in Helsinki.

WARSAW, 4 February 2025 – The lack of assurance by the authorities of Tajikistan that international observers will be accredited has regrettably made it necessary to cancel the observation of the country’s forthcoming parliamentary elections, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today.

HELSINKI/WARSAW, 27 January 2025 – This year we mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. As the living memory of the Holocaust fades, we have a profound responsibility to commemorate the victims of this atrocity and to understand its ongoing meaning and consequences, the OSCE said on today’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

DUSHANBE, 22 January 2025- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 2 March parliamentary elections in Tajikistan, following an official invitation from the national authorities.

WARSAW/COPENHAGEN, 9 January 2025 – The decision of the Belarusian authorities not to invite OSCE participating States to observe the country’s presidential election on 26 January is deeply regrettable and prevents an impartial and independent assessment of the election process, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) said in a statement today.