07/12/2007 | Election observation
At the end of a three-day mission ahead of the observation of Georgia’s 5 January parliamentary elections, a four-member PACE delegation today made the following statement: “The consolidation of democracy has, until recently, been notable in Georgia. However, the events in November have seriously damaged this process. The political schism and polarised political debate risk undermining the credibility of the upcoming Presidential elections, and its outcome, in the eyes of the Georgian public.
03/12/2007 | Election observation
The State Duma elections in the Russian Federation on 2 December 2007 were not fair and failed to meet many OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards for democratic elections, according to an observation mission of parliamentarians from these two bodies. The observation, bringing together over 70 parliamentarians from 28 countries, was a joint effort of delegations from PACE, led by Luc van den Brande, and the OSCE PA, led by Göran Lennmarker. The Nordic Council also joined these two bodies in their statement.
30/11/2007 | Election observation
The delegation heads of two international parliamentary bodies observing the Duma elections in Russia are to deliver their joint preliminary conclusions at a press conference in Moscow on the day after the election. Luc van den Brande and Göran Lennmarker, heading delegations from the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) respectively, will give a joint press conference in the Winter Garden Room of the Savoy Hotel (3/6, b. 1, Rozhdestvenka, Moscow) at 12.30 p.m. on Monday 3 December 2007.
09/11/2007 | Election observation
At the end of a three-day mission ahead of the observation of Russia’s 2 December parliamentary elections, a nine-member PACE delegation has noted the climate of political stability and economic growth in the Russian Federation, but said this should go "hand in hand" with strengthening democracy. "I am confident that the upcoming elections to the Russian Duma will be free," said delegation head Luc Van den Brande. "However it is also essential for the elections to be fair, and this calls for the creation of a level playing field for all political stakeholders." The delegation also criticised the restrictions on international observers.
06/11/2007 | Election observation
A pre-electoral delegation of 10 PACE members, consisting of two representatives of each of the five political groups of the Assembly and led by Luc Van den Brande (Belgium, EPP/DC), will visit the Russian Federation from 7 to 9 November 2007 ahead of the parliamentary elections on 2 December 2007. The delegation will meet in Moscow with representatives of the political groups running in these elections, the Presidents of the Constitutional Court and the Central Election Commission, as well as representatives of civil society and the media. The members of the delegation will present the conclusions of their visit at a press conference on Friday 9 November at 11.00 a.m. in the Interfax News Agency premises (Pervaya Tverskaya-Yamskaya str. 2).
01/10/2007 | Election observation
The 30 September parliamentary elections in Ukraine were conducted mostly in line with international commitments and standards for democratic elections and confirm an open and competitive environment for the conduct of election processes, the OSCE-led International Election Observation Mission concluded in a joint preliminary statement today.
03/09/2007 | Election observation
In anticipation of the parliamentary elections in Ukraine on 30 September, a pre-electoral delegation of PACE, consisting of a representative of each of the five political groups of the Assembly and led by Hanne Severinsen (Denmark, ALDE), will visit Ukraine from 4 to 6 September. During its visit, the delegation will meet various leading figures, including the President, Prime Minister and President of the Constitutional Court, the ministers of the interior and foreign affairs, officials of the political groups represented in parliament, election officials and representatives of civil society and the media.
19/08/2007 | Election observation
While the 2007 parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan reflected welcome progress, a number of international standards were not met, in particular with regard to elements of the new legal framework and the vote count, concluded international observers. "Building a democracy is a long and hard task," said the head of the PACE delegation David Wilshire (United Kingdom, EDG). "However, the people of Kazakhstan are making real progress. I am not surprised that more needs to be done but saddened that the outstanding challenges include some fundamental matters."
14/08/2007 | Election observation
A five-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), headed by David Wilshire (United Kingdom, EDG) will be observing the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan on 18 August alongside observers from the OSCE/ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
23/07/2007 | Election observation
The 36 member strong PACE delegation that observed the Parliamentary elections held in Turkey on 22 July 2007 today said it was impressed with the organisation and conduct of the vote. Overwhelmingly, the voting was organised well and conducted in an orderly and professional fashion that testifies to a long-standing tradition of democratic elections in this founder-member of the Council of Europe. The high voter turnout showed that genuine confidence in the democratic process exists in Turkey. The Supreme Electoral Board, as well as district and local polling stations officials, despatched their duties effectively and in good faith.
13/05/2007 | Election observation
In a joint statement today, the International Election Observation Mission for the 12 May parliamentary elections in Armenia concluded that the elections demonstrated improvement from previous ones and were largely in accordance with international commitments, although some issues remain unaddressed. Leo Platvoet, Head of the PACE delegation, said: “We congratulate the Armenian people on showing the will to hold democratic elections. Some challenges remain, such as intertwining between political and business interests and improvements are still needed to the electoral complaints procedure. The Council of Europe and its Assembly continue to stand ready to assist Armenia in this process.”
10/05/2007 | Election observation
A 35-member team of observers from the Assembly, headed by Leo Platvoet (Netherlands, UEL), will observe the 12 May parliamentary elections in the country alongside observers from OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and European Parliament. Members of the delegation will meet with representatives of political parties, as well as with NGOs and the media, before deploying around the country to observe the conduct of the vote.