News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE Mission head welcomes orderly completion of vote collection operation in Kosovo
Publishing date: 16 March 2014
PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 16 March 2014 – The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, noted at 22:00 hrs this evening that the collection of votes has concluded in an orderly manner. The operation was designed to enable eligible voters in Kosovo to exercise their right and cast ballots in Serbian parliamentary elections...
Post-2014 Afghanistan will be no threat to other countries, Afghan Minister of Counter Narcotics tells OSCE
Publishing date: 13 March 2014
Afghanistan has made much progress in the twelve years and will not pose a threat to other countries in the region, the country’s Minister of Counter Narcotics Mobarez Rashedi told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 13 March 2014, as he highlighted ways to address the remaining challenges, including the fight against the illicit drugs...
OSCE Chair says Crimean referendum in its current form is illegal and calls for alternative ways to address the Crimean issue
Publishing date: 11 March 2014
BERN, March 11 2014 – In its current form the referendum regarding Crimea scheduled for March 16, 2014, is in contradiction with the Ukrainian Constitution and must be considered illegal, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chair Didier Burkhalter said...
OSCE/ODIHR opens election observation mission for presidential and early parliamentary elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Publishing date: 10 March 2014
SKOPJE, 10 March 2014 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission for the 13 April presidential and 27 April early parliamentary elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The mission’s deployment follows an invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to observe the presidential election, and in anticipation of an invitation for the early parliamentary elections...
OSCE/ODIHR opens mission to observe parliamentary elections in Hungary
Publishing date: 5 March 2014
BUDAPEST, 5 March 2014 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today held the opening press conference of its limited election observation mission for the 6 April parliamentary elections in Hungary...
Citing lack of respect for fundamental freedoms, OSCE/ODIHR final report on Turkmenistan parliamentary elections recommends measures to bring process in line with OSCE commitments
Publishing date: 4 March 2014
The 15 December 2013 parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan took place in a strictly controlled political environment characterized by a lack of respect for fundamental freedoms central to democratic elections, says the final report from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) released on 3 March 2014.
OSCE/ODIHR to send an election observation mission for the 25 May early presidential election in Ukraine
Publishing date: 3 March 2014
WARSAW, 3 March 2014 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) announced today that it would send an election observation mission to Ukraine for the 25 May early presidential election...