Parliamentary Elections, 24 May 2007

Following an invitation from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and the conduct of a needs assessment mission from 26 to 29 March, ODIHR deployed an election assessment mission to the parliamentary elections on 24 May.

Led by Nikolai Vulchanov of Bulgaria, the mission included eight election experts.

According to the mission's final report: "Overall, the 24 May elections to the [Lower House of Parliament] reflected a stable democratic tradition in the conduct of elections in Ireland. Irish voters, political parties and candidates expressed a high level of confidence in the election administration and the entire process. Seats in the [Lower House of Parliament] are allocated through the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system, which provides for a generally proportional representation through a strong majoritarian contest. Elections took place in a competitive environment, with a broad choice of candidates and political parties available to the voter."

Election Assessment Team

Nikolai Vulchanov (Bulgaria): Head of Mission
Paul DeGregorio (United States): Election Expert
Inna Shyrokova (Ukraine): Election Expert
Alex Baturo (Belarus): Election Expert
Rovzat Gasymov (Azerbaijan): Election Expert
Kerstin Dokter (Germany): Election Expert
Emmanuelle Cerf (France): Election Expert
Holly Ruthrauff (United States): ODIHR Election Adviser

Election Assessment Team

Nikolai Vulchanov (Bulgaria): Head of Mission
Paul DeGregorio (United States): Election Expert
Inna Shyrokova (Ukraine): Election Expert
Alex Baturo (Belarus): Election Expert
Rovzat Gasymov (Azerbaijan): Election Expert
Kerstin Dokter (Germany): Election Expert
Emmanuelle Cerf (France): Election Expert
Holly Ruthrauff (United States): ODIHR Election Adviser