Political analyst

The political analyst is an observation mission's main contact with candidates and political parties; he or she also monitors and assesses the political campaign. The political analyst pays close attention to the general political environment, as well as any decisions or developments that may have an impact on the election campaign, such as the creation of new political parties, the nomination of candidates, and the conduct of rallies and demonstrations.

"You regularly meet with candidates, political parties, non-governmental organizations, government representatives, and journalists in order to come to grips with the issues that are pertinent to the political race," says Lolita Cigane, a Latvian citizen who has been working as an expert on election-related issues since 2001.

"It is important to see, for example, if the campaign is interrupted in any way by the state administration. Another issue that often comes up are allegations of abuse of administrative resources by incumbents."