06/09/2006 | Election observation
A nine-member PACE delegation, headed by Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), will observe the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Montenegro on Sunday 10 September 2006. The delegation, which will be in the country from 7 to 12 September, will assess whether the elections in Montenegro meet international – and in particular Council of Europe – standards for democratic elections.
04/07/2006 | Election observation
The Federal Elections held in Mexico 2 July 2006 were about the best organized and conducted elections the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) ever observed, concluded a three-member strong PACE observer delegation to these elections. The counting process is not over yet, and the tight race did not allow for early results. The delegation calls on all political players to exercise political responsibility ahead of the official announcement of results and to abstain from any actions that could lead to a de-stabilisation of the situation. Whoever the winner will be will have to work hard to forge political coalitions and build consensus in a deeply divided Mexico.
07/06/2006 | Election observation
While the parliamentary elections in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on 5 July largely met international standards for democratic elections, violence and intimidation cast a shadow over the campaign, concluded the International Election Observation Mission in a preliminary statement, released today.
22/05/2006 | Election observation
The referendum on the future state-status of the Republic of Montenegro (Serbia and Montenegro) on 21 May was conducted overall in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and other international standards for democratic electoral processes, according to international observers. Jean-Charles Gardetto, head of the PACE delegation, said: “The high turnout showed the importance given by the people of Montenegro in deciding their future by democratic and peaceful means. They expressed their free will in a fully democratic and civil manner, something they can be proud of and that sets an example for the region. The Assembly stands ready to accompany Montenegro on the path its people have chosen.”
17/05/2006 | Election observation
A 15-member delegation from PACE is to observe the conduct of the referendum on state status of the Republic of Montenegro (Serbia and Montenegro) on 21 May 2006. The delegation, led by Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco, EPP/CD), will arrive in Podgorica on 19 May 2006. It will meet representatives of the independence bloc, the pro-Union bloc, the government and the media as well as officials in charge of organising the referendum. On the day of the referendum the parliamentarians will be deployed in the capital and other towns in Montenegro. They will be working alongside observers for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament.
14/05/2006 | Election observation
There was progress in the conduct of voting during election day for the 13 May partial re-run of the parliamentary elections, according to PACE observers. In a statement issued today, the 20-member delegation said the conduct of the candidate registration process was inclusive but regretted the decision of certain opposition parties to boycott the elections. The electoral campaign was generally low key and took place without the incidents that marred the November elections, the observers said.
11/05/2006 | Election observation
An eighteen-member delegation from the PACE, headed by Leo Platvoet (Netherlands, UEL), will observe the partial re-run of the Azerbaijan parliamentary elections on 13 May 2006. Following the poll on 6 November 2005, repeat elections are being held in ten constituencies in which the Central Election Commission and the Constitutional Court annulled the results. PACE said the original elections did not meet international standards despite some improvements. The delegation, which will be in the country from 11 to 15 May 2006, will meet representatives of political parties and blocs, electoral officials and NGO representatives and will observe polling on the day of the vote.
28/04/2006 | Election observation
A five-member PACE delegation today expressed concern at the lack of signs of democratic progress in the run-up to the partial re-run of the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan scheduled for 13 May 2006. In a statement issued at the end of a two-day ‘pre-electoral’ visit, the delegation regretted the low visibility of the campaign, and called on the authorities to reform the electoral code and the law on freedom of assembly, as well as to continue its investigations into electoral fraud in the November elections.
25/04/2006 | Election observation
A five-member Assembly delegation, headed by Leo Platvoet (Netherlands, UEL), will make a pre-electoral visit to Azerbaijan from 27 to 28 April to assess preparations for the 13 May partial re-run of the parliamentary elections. In January the Assembly set out a list of urgent measures needed “to restore confidence in the electoral, and more generally the democratic process” in Azerbaijan – including ensuring that the election rerun in 10 constituencies fully abides by democratic principles. It said it would decide in June, in the light of progress made, whether to reconsider its decision to ratify the credentials of Azerbaijan's parliamentary delegation.
27/03/2006 | Election observation
The 26 March parliamentary elections in Ukraine further consolidated the breakthrough in the conduct of a democratic election process that began less than a year and a half ago. Overall, fundamental civil and political rights were respected.
21/03/2006 | Election observation
A thirty-seven-member, cross-party delegation from the PACE, headed by Renate Wohlwend (Liechtenstein, EPP/CD), will observe the 26 March parliamentary elections in Ukraine. The delegation, which will work alongside observers from the OSCE and NATO Parliamentary Assemblies and the European Parliament, will arrive in Kyiv on 23 March. They are due to meet party representatives, election officials and representatives of civil society and the media as well as observing polling on the day of the vote.
02/03/2006 | Election observation
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) pre-electoral mission that visited Ukraine from 28 February to 2 March 2006 today welcomed the vastly improved atmosphere in which the electoral campaign and the preparations for the forthcoming parliamentary elections are taking place. Almost all interlocutors met by the delegation expressed their confidence in the election process up to now and their expectation that these elections would be conducted in accordance with universally accepted democratic standards. This is a marked improvement in comparison to the last Presidential elections.