24/02/2012 | Election observation
A 29-member delegation of PACE, headed by Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), will visit the Russian Federation from 1 to 5 March to observe the conduct of the presidential election, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The delegation is due to meet the candidates in the presidential election, the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Vladimir Churov, NGOs and media representatives, and diplomats from some Council of Europe member states in Moscow, before observing the ballot on 4 March.
13/02/2012 | Election observation
Russia on the eve of its Presidential election remains a nation poised between hope and fear, where much is possible but nothing is yet sure, according to a PACE pre-electoral delegation, concluding a four-day visit to Moscow. The five-member delegation, in Moscow from 8 to 11 February 2012, met four of the five candidates: Sergey Mironov, Mikhail Prokhorov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Guennady Zyuganov.
02/02/2012 | Election observation
A five-member PACE delegation led by Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL) will carry out a pre-electoral mission to Moscow on 8-11 February 2012, to assess the electoral framework and campaign ahead of the Russian presidential election on 4 March 2012. The delegation is due to meet the Speaker of the State Duma Sergey Naryshkin, candidates in the presidential election, candidates disqualified from running, and the Russian delegation to PACE.
23/01/2012 | Election observation
The playing field for Russia’s parliamentary elections was “slanted in favour of United Russia”, according to a report by PACE’s election observers made public today, and debated by the Assembly. Although the seven political parties running created the possibility of real competition, the denial of registration to certain parties had “narrowed political competition”, the report, presented by Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), concluded.
21/01/2012 | Election observation
A PACE post-election delegation, ending a two-day visit to Moscow, has welcomed widespread indications – from across the political spectrum – of the need for political change in Russia, and called for this change to be substantial and sustainable. It should not be a survival mechanism, the delegation said. The six-member delegation, visiting Moscow on 20 and 21 January, said that Russian voters, whatever their political views, were making increasingly clear their preference for elections that are conducted fairly, and called on the politicians to respond to this need as an urgent priority. Recent mass demonstrations throughout Russia had acted as a wake-up call, it pointed out.
16/01/2012 | Election observation
Notwithstanding the government’s stated ambition to strengthen Kazakhstan’s democratic processes and conduct elections in line with international standards, yesterday’s early parliamentary vote still did not meet fundamental principles of democratic elections, international observers concluded in a statement issued today. The elections were well administered at the technical level.
16/01/2012 | Election observation
A seven-member delegation from PACE is to make a “post-electoral visit” to Russia on 20 and 21 January. The delegation – made up of one member from each of the Assembly’s five political groups as well as the two rapporteurs for the monitoring of Russia – will be visiting the country on the eve of the Assembly’s winter plenary session in Strasbourg (23-27 January), where a report on the observation of Russia’s parliamentary elections is due to be discussed.
13/01/2012 | Election observation
A PACE delegation led by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) will travel to Tunis on 16 and 17 January. The President of the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe's group of independent legal experts – will also join the delegation. The purpose of this visit is to assess the scope for strengthening PACE’s institutional relations with the new Constituent National Assembly and with other Tunisian institutions and partners, following the elections of 23 October 2011.
05/12/2011 | Election observation
Despite the lack of a level playing field during the Russian State Duma elections, voters took advantage of their right to express their choice, the international observers concluded in a statement issued today. The observers noted that the preparations for the elections were technically well-administered across a vast territory, but were marked by a convergence of the state and the governing party, limited political competition and a lack of fairness.
28/11/2011 | Election observation
A 34-member delegation of PACE, headed by Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), will visit the Russian Federation from 1 to 5 December to observe the conduct of the parliamentary elections, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE and the Nordic Council.
26/11/2011 | Election observation
The parliamentary elections held in Morocco on 25 November 2011 went off calmly, allowing the voters to choose freely among the different political parties. PACE delegation notes with satisfaction that following the adoption of the new Constitution on 1 July 2011, the Moroccan authorities improved the electoral framework, which facilitates the organisation of free and fair elections provided this text is properly implemented.
12/11/2011 | Election observation
A PACE delegation undertook a pre-election visit to Morocco to assess the campaign for the parliamentary elections due to take place on 25 November 2011. The delegation noted that the election campaign, which begins officially on 12 November, did not yet seem to have aroused much enthusiasm among the electorate, some two weeks before polling day. Some persons met by the delegation were concerned about the possibility of a low turn-out in the elections, as in 2007.