14/02/2008 | Election observation
A 27-member delegation of the PACE, headed by John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), will visit Armenia from 18 to 20 February 2008 to observe the presidential election together with observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and the European Parliament. The delegation members will meet the candidates in the election, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission and representatives of NGOs and the media; they will then travel to various parts of the country to observe the conduct of the poll on 19 February.
08/02/2008 | Election observation
A PACE pre-electoral delegation concluding a two-day visit to Moscow, has expressed concern at the prospects for the holding of a good Presidential election in Russia. At the end of the visit, from 7-8 February 2008, the delegation declared: “An election where candidates are confronted with almost insurmountable difficulties when trying to register risks not qualifying as free. An election where there is not a level playing field for all contestants can hardly be considered as fair.”
04/02/2008 | Election observation
International observers from ODIHR and from PACE have concluded that the second round of voting in Serbia’s presidential election yesterday was conducted in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments for democratic elections. “I was impressed by the maturity shown by the people of Serbia, and I also congratulate both candidates for their commitment to democratic principles,” said Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), head of the PACE delegation. “I hope that the President is able to build the much-needed bridges in society to strengthen the process of European integration.”
04/02/2008 | Election observation
The 3 February 2008 parliamentary elections in Monaco were free and fair. They were well organised and their result is a true expression of the will of the electorate, concluded a five-member, cross-party delegation of observers from PACE. The delegation was impressed with the high voter turnout of 77 per cent, which testifies to the confidence of Monegasques that every vote counts. This public mood bodes well for the future of representative democracy in this particular constitutional monarchy.
01/02/2008 | Election observation
A PACE delegation led by Andreas Gross Switzerland, SOC) will visit Serbia from 1 to 4 February to observe the second round of the presidential election, alongside the OSCE and the ODIHR. The parliamentarians should have meetings with a representative of the Election Commission and members of the Association of Independent Journalists of Serbia, before observing the holding of the election and vote counting on 3 February.
01/02/2008 | Election observation
A four-member delegation from PACE, headed by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), will make a pre-electoral visit to Moscow from 6 to 9 February 2008 to assess the run-up to the 2 March Presidential election. The delegation, made up of representatives from four of the Assembly’s five political groups, is due to meet all the official candidates, Andrey Bogdanov, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Guennady Zyuganov, as well as Mikhail Kasyanov whose candidature has not been accepted by Russia’s Central Election Commission.
31/01/2008 | Election observation
The PACE pre-election delegation, led by John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC) and visiting Yerevan from 29 to 31 January, said it was concerned with the apparent lack of trust in the electoral process, including in the impartiality of the legal complaints and appeals process, expressed by a number of interlocutors. The delegation strongly recommended that the authorities take all necessary measures to ensure public confidence in the electoral process, especially with regard to the secrecy of the vote and the transparency of the counting and tabulation processes. It also said it regretted the clearly unbalanced media coverage on most broadcast media, including public television, before the official campaign period.
31/01/2008 | Election observation
A PACE delegation, consisting of one representative of each of the Assembly’s political groups and headed by Jaakko Laakso (Finland, UEL), will be in Monaco from 1 to 4 February to observe the conduct of the parliamentary elections. The delegation members will meet Jean-Paul Proust, Minister of State of the Principality of Monaco, Georges Marsan, Mayor of Monaco, Stéphane Valéri, President of the National Council, Philippe Narmino, Director of Judicial Services, and representatives of the opposition lists and the media.
28/01/2008 | Election observation
Ahead of the presidential election due to be held in Armenia on 19 February, a three-member delegation from PACE, headed by John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), will carry out a pre-electoral mission in the country from 29 to 31 January. The delegation will meet various political figures (President of the Republic and Speaker of the Parliament, President of the Constitutional Court, Minister for Foreign Affairs), the candidates in the presidential election, the Chair of the Central Electoral Commission, and representatives of civil society and the media.
06/01/2008 | Election observation
While the 5 January presidential election in Georgia was in essence consistent with most international standards for democratic elections, significant challenges were revealed which need to be addressed urgently, the International Election Observation Mission concluded in a joint preliminary statement today. Mátyás Eörsi, the Head of the PACE delegation, said: "This election, although clearly not perfect, enabled the Georgian people to give a democratic response to the recent political crisis. Georgians should be congratulated for the commitment they showed on election day to democratic principles. Now it is up to the authorities to hear our criticisms and urgently respond to the significant shortcomings noted. For the sake of the stability of the country I call upon all actors to conclude this election process in a manner that ensures the legitimacy in they eyes of Georgian people."
21/12/2007 | Election observation
A 28 member PACE delegation led by Mátyás Eörsi (Hungary, ALDE) will observe the presidential elections on Saturday 5 January 2008 in Georgia alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament and the OSCE-ODIHR. The members of the delegation will meet with the different candidates running for the election, as well as with representatives of the Central Electoral Commission, NGOs and the media, before traveling to the different areas of the country to observe the conduct of the ballot on polling day. (Picture: tblisi.co.uk)
18/12/2007 | Election observation
Mátyás Eörsi (Hungary, ALDE), Head of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Delegation that will observe Georgia's 5 January presidential elections, today gave a press conference at the Council of Europe Paris Office on the results of his recent visit to Tblissi and with a view of the forthcoming elections.