EPDE calls on Russia: Remove the listing
Warsaw, September 13, 2018
On 10 September, at the OSCE-ODIHR Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) in Warsaw, EPDE Chair Stefanie Schiffer called on the Russian Federation to withdraw the listing of EPDE and its Lithuanian member IESC as “undesirable organisations”. The listing had been imposed by the Russian Prosecutor General on 13 March 2018. More...
UKRAINE BEFORE ELECTIONS 2019 - REGIONS IN FOCUS
Berlin, September 7, 2018
The 14th annual conference of the KYIV DIALOGUE will be held on October 16-17, 2018, at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Berlin and dedicated to the topic "Ukraine before Elections 2019 - Regions in Focus". What changes have occurred in Ukraine after almost five years since the Euromaidan? What are the prospects for a new political culture and electoral reform? We would like to discuss these and other issues with policy makers, politicians, journalists and civil society activists. More...
HDIM side event on electoral law reforms in Eastern Europe
Berlin, August 30, 2018
The European Platform for Democratic Elections holds a side event at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2018 (HDIM) in Warsaw, which will take place on Monday, 10 September 2018 from 13:15-14:45. The Side Event will focus on electoral reform in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, where changes to electoral laws are widely demanded by the citizen observers groups. More...
Annual GNDEM Conference
Colombo (Sri Lanka), August 25-26, 2018
Stefanie Schiffer represented EPDE at the annual conference of GNDEM (the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors) in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 25-26, 2018. The global network of citizens' election observers discussed the improvement of cross-boarder cooperation of citizens' election observers worldwide. EPDE contributed to the better detection of politically motivated ("fake") election observation through citizens' election observers.
EPDE Policy Alert - Electoral Reform in Ukraine #7
Kyiv, July 23, 2018
EPDE monitors the progress of electoral reform in Ukraine. Issue no. 7 of the “EPDE Policy Alert - Electoral Reform in Ukraine” concerns the renewal of the Central Election Commission. On 5 July 2018, the Ukrainian Parliament failed to renew the Central Election Commission (CEC). Only 189 out of 226 required MPs supported the motion to hold a vote (1) on the dismissal of 13 acting members of the CEC whose terms expired already in June 2014 and February 2017, and (2) on the appointment of 13 new members. More...
„Fake Observation“ is a point of entry into political corruption
Berlin, July 16, 2018
On 9 July 2018, within the 27th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) in Berlin, the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) held the side event “New Challenges to the International Election Observation”. The event was hosted by Isabel Santos, Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and focussed on biased election observation as well as the shrinking space for independent civil society election observation. More...
New EPDE booklet on biased observation
Berlin, July 13, 2018
The new EPDE's publication "Politically biased election observation—a threat to the integrity of international institutions" comprises analyses and recommendations that help to identify and react to any kind of politically influenced election observation. It contains EPDE's policy paper "Detection and Prevention of Politically Biased Election Observation in the OSCE Region", as well as two reports by political scientist Anton Shekhovtsov. More...
IFES-OPORA Updates Joint Paper on Legal Reform Priorities for Elections, Referendums and Political Finance
Kyiv, June 20, 2018
IFES and Civil Network OPORA prepared an updated version of the “Legal Reform Priorities for Elections, Referendums and Political Finance” paper, which addresses changes that have occurred since June 2017 and identifies the urgent election-related priorities that must be implemented at least one year before the October 2019 Parliamentary Elections, as necessitated by international standards and best practices.
Promo-LEX and Civic Coalition criticize new accreditation process for observers in Moldova
Chişinaú, June 19, 2018
Promo-LEX, EPDE member organisation from Moldova, and several other members of the Civic Coalition call the urgent repeal of CEC Decision no. 1694 of 12 June 2018, complicating the election observers' accreditation and activity. The Signatory Organizations have also expressed their profound disappointment with the eroding of democracy in Moldova,
after 40% of the votes on Chisinau mayor elections were invalidated.
Recommendations for Improvement of Electoral Environment by ISFED
Tbilisi, June 14, 2018
ISFED, together with GYLA and TI-Georgia presented a package of priority recommendations for improvement of electoral environment in Georgia. The two packages of recommendations cover the issues of political party finance and regulations in the Election Code to improve various aspects related to campaigning, misuse of administrative resources, election administration composition, electoral disputes, etc.