OSCE Chairmanship hosts expert seminar on electoral management bodies

VIENNA, 17 July 2009 - A two-day seminar on electoral management bodies, organized by the Greek Chairmanship of the OSCE, ended today, and the Chairmanship said it had provided valuable contributions in the context of the ongoing discussions on election related issues and in ensuring that election processes in the participating States are conducted in accordance with OSCE commitments. 

"In the course of these two days participants acknowledged the need for election management to be founded on basic, but fundamental guiding principles such as independence, impartiality, integrity and transparency," said Ambassador Mara Marinaki, the Chairperson of the Permanent Council, a Vienna-based OSCE decision-making body.

"It is of crucial importance for a country's electoral process that the Electoral Management Bodies managing the elections be seen to be independent of any party and generally any political interference. I f they do not have this confidence of independence, the entire electoral process and the election results might be questioned," she said.

Representatives from civil society as well as from national electoral management bodies attended the seminar, which was organized with support from the OSCE's Secretariat and Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

The seminar gave an opportunity to focus on the experiences of OSCE participating States with different models of electoral management bodies as well as on the challenges they face.

Topics discussed included the structure of electoral management bodies, their role in improving election legislation and practice and in making full use of international and domestic observer findings and recommendations. Participants also looked at ways to ensure the conduct of elections in line with OSCE commitments and national legislation.