News and press releases

BELGRADE, 4 April 2022 – Fundamental freedoms were largely respected in Serbia’s 3 April presidential and early parliamentary elections, and voters were presented diverse political options, but a number of shortcomings resulted in an uneven playing field, favouring the incumbents, international observers said in a statement today. The combined impact of unbalanced access to the media, undue pressure on public sector employees to support the incumbents, significant campaign finance disparities and misuse of state resources resulted in unequal conditions for contestants, the statement says...

BUDAPEST, 4 April 2022 – Hungary’s parliamentary elections offered voters distinct alternatives and were well run, but while competitive, the process was marred by the pervasive overlapping of government and ruling coalition’s messaging that blurred the line between state and party, as well as by media bias and opaque campaign funding, international observers said in a statement  today.

VIENNA/WARSAW, 28 March 2022 – To achieve progress on implementing the commitments made by all OSCE countries to resolve disputes peacefully and ensure stability in the region, urgent consultation is needed to increase co-operation to protect civilians and investigate and prosecute violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, OSCE leaders said at the opening of a two-day conference today.

The October 2021 local elections in North Macedoniawere competitive and fundamental freedoms were widely respected, but shortcomings in the legal framework underscore the need for a comprehensive reform. The election days proceeded smoothly and procedures were generally assessed positively by ODIHR

The 2021 parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic were well organized and an overall competitive campaign offered voters a wide choice of contestants. Campaign coverage was extensive in both public and private media, and contestants enjoyed generous free airtime. The tone of the campaign was

WARSAW, 22 March 2022 – With some 3.5 million people already forced to flee Ukraine since Russia’s military attack began less than a month ago, a rapidly increasing number of those in need of protection mean a concerted effort is crucial to provide them with longer-term assistance, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The 26 September 2021 elections to the German Parliament (Bundestag) were generally well organized, and the election administration enjoyed stakeholder confidence notwithstanding some procedural issues reported and observed in Berlin. Overall, the postal voting system contains sufficient safeguards