11/02/2013 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Today’s opening of 257 election registration centres in Gaza, Palestine, might “pave the way for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year”, according to Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), PACE rapporteur on evaluation of the partnership for democracy with the Palestinian National Council.
11/02/2013 | Election observation
On 10 February 2013 Monegasques chose their representatives freely from among three lists of candidates for the National Council of the Principality of Monaco, according to a six-member delegation of observers from the PACE.
11/02/2013 | President
PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon today firmly condemned an attack at the border between Turkey and Syria and warned that violence may flare up in the region.
08/02/2013 | Monitoring
PACE co-rapporteurs on Georgia, Michael Aastrup Jensen (Denmark, ALDE) and Boriss Cilevičs (Latvia, SOC), have condemned the outbreak of violence during today’s protest in front of the National Library in Tbilisi where President Saakashvili was scheduled to make his “State of the Union” address.
07/02/2013 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
“Education and cultural policies must be enhanced in order to develop a culture of democracy that can sustain the ‘living together’ society,” said Carlos Costa Neves (Portugal, PPE/DC) in Andorra la Vella, addressing the international conference “Competences for a culture of democracy and intercultural dialogue: a political challenge and values”.
06/02/2013 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“Female genital mutilation is a serious form of violence against women and girls, as recognised by the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence,” declared today José Mendes Bota (Portugal, EPP/CD), PACE general rapporteur on violence against women, and Marlene Rupprecht (Germany, SOC), general rapporteur on children.
06/02/2013 | President
PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon expressed his shock today at the murder of Chokri Belaid, a leading Tunisian opposition figure. “I firmly condemn this despicable crime which is aimed at destabilising the democratic transition process in Tunisia and undermining the efforts of all those who are working for the defence of human rights in that country."
06/02/2013 | Monitoring
Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) and Joseph Debono Grech (Malta, SOC), PACE's monitoring co-rapporteurs on Azerbaijan, have expressed their deep concern at recent worrying developments in Azerbaijan, including the detention, trial and sentencing of peaceful demonstrators and the arrest of opposition politicians.
05/02/2013 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
“I welcome the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence by Albania on 4 February and Portugal on 5 February 2013. I sincerely hope they will be followed by more states in the coming months,” declared José Mendes Bota (Portugal, EPP/CD), PACE general rapporteur on violence against women.
04/02/2013 | Election observation
The authorities of the Principality of Monaco have invited the PACE to observe the parliamentary elections taking place on 10 February. A six-member PACE delegation headed by Piotr Wach (Poland, EPP/CD) is to visit Monaco from 8 to 11 February to observe these elections, along with experts from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
04/02/2013 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
“Match-fixing is a plague which is undermining the rule of law and slowly killing true sport”, said Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE), PACE rapporteur on "The need to combat match-fixing”, speaking today.
01/02/2013 | Monitoring
Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), PACE co-rapporteur on Russia for the Monitoring Committee, has expressed concern at the approval by the Russian Duma, at first reading, of a draft federal law on the “propaganda of homosexuality to minors” which, if finally adopted, is likely to increase discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBT) by limiting their freedom of expression, association and assembly.