News and press releases

A team of elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) held a series of meetings this week in Ashgabat with authorities in Turkmenistan to discuss the ODIHR Election Assessment Mission’s final report on the 15 December 2013 parliamentary elections.

BERN, 26 May 2014 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, rates the early presidential elections in Ukraine of May 25 as an important milestone in the process of de-escalation of the crisis. He thanked the election observation mission of the OSCE Office Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) to Ukraine and the observation delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly for their invaluable work...

KYIV, 26 May 2014 – The 25 May early presidential election in Ukraine was characterized by high turnout and a clear resolve by the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and that respected fundamental freedoms, despite the hostile security environment in two eastern regions of the country, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. While the election administration ran the process impartially and transparently on the whole, some decisions taken may have been beyond its authority...

KYIV, 23 May 2014 – Joao Soares (MP, Portugal), the Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE's short-term observation mission for Ukraine's presidential election, has arrived in Kyiv alongside fellow parliamentarians ahead of the 25 May vote...

BERN, 23 May, 2014 – Commending the Ukrainian authorities for their measures to reduce tensions, Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, called upon all sides – and particularly upon the parties of the Geneva Statement of 17 April –, to lend full support to the country in its efforts for de-escalation and for a peaceful solution of the crisis, including the holding of early presidential elections...

The early parliamentary elections in Serbia, held on 16 March 2014, were characterized by respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, but more needs to be done to further improve the election process, says the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU), completed on 21 May 2014 a series of trainings on uniform interpretation of election legislation for administrative and local court judges, held jointly with the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and USAID “FAIR Justice” Project...