Transcript Slide 1

EMBs in OSCE/ODIHR
election observations
Achievements and challenges from the
perspective of international standards and
good practice
Tatyana Bogussevich, OSCE/ODIHR Acting Deputy Head of Election
Department, Senior Election Adviser
Overview
o Focuses exclusively on the administration by EMBs of
an electoral process
o Leaves out any other observations and aspects,
including legal and political context
o Not an attempt to capture with full correctness and
comprehensiveness the special circumstances in each
of the States
o Generalizations and tendencies
Basis of analysis
•6 years of OSCE/ODIHR reports - 2009-2014
•42 out of 47 countries in which electionrelated activities were conducted
•275 recommendations
•1 up to 4-5 elections in each
EMBs in recommendations
• Only around
15% of a total
number of
recommenda
tions related
to EMBs
• Some 40%
of EMBrelated
recommend
ations are
identified as
priority
ones
• Subtle
trend of
decrease in
the
number of
EMBrelated
recommen
dations
• A portion
of
recomend
ations is
reiterated
as
unimpleme
nted in
subsequen
t reports
EMBs in international standards and
good practice
Independence
Efficiency
Impartiality
Collegiality
Integrity
Transparency
Professionalism
Efficiency: self-organization,
service provider
Achievements
 Elections technically well
administered, within legal deadlines
 Greater focus on training, using
innovative approaches
 Greater use of technology facilitating
aspects of electoral process;
 Work between elections, including on
the basis of comprehensive action
plans and lessons learnt
 Greater focus on voter education,
with use of interactive formats
 Focus on enfranchisement and
efforts to accommodate special
needs groups
Challenges
 Resources (human, financial)
incompatible with duties
 Insufficient co-ordination with lower
level EMBs and other institutions
 Adoption of last-minute decisions
 Need of greater training in particular
on counting, tabulation and
completion of protocols
 Last minute replacement of staff
challenges stability, undermines
training
Integrity
Achievements
 Opening and voting
assessed overwhelmingly
positively
 Moving towards or
established centralized
voter registration
 Development of
guidelines to supplement,
clarify legal provisions
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Challenges
Need for greater balance in
composition
Lack of collegiality
Formalistic approach to
complaints, poorly
arguemented decisions;
Failures to provide timely
and effective legal redress
Counting and tabulation
assessed considerably more
negatively
Transparency
Achievements
 Efforts to publish results
by polling stations, post
and distribute to
observers protocols;
 Greater trend of sessions
open to observers, media,
parties;
 Greater engagement with
civil society;
Challenges
 Greater efforts needed to
publish EMB decisions,
meeting agendas and
minutes in a timely
manner;
 Reduced transparency of
count and tabulation
processes;
 Lack of provisions for
observation
Conclusions and ways ahead
 Certain common trends, both with regard to
achievements and challenges
 Benefits of EMB exchange
 Follow up
 Technical targeted advice and assistance by the
OSCE/ODIHR