ODIHR experts discuss electoral recommendations at Austrian Parliament

Experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Vienna on 12 and 13 September 2018 to present ODIHR’s final report on the 15 October 2017 early parliamentary elections in Austria.

The report’s findings and recommendations were presented at an expert discussion organized by the Parliament, with the participation of around 100 representatives from political parties, the Interior Ministry, other government and municipal agencies and civil society.

The ODIHR representatives noted that the elections reflected Austria’s vibrant democracy and were administered in an efficient and professional manner. They drew attention to recommendations on citizens’ right of access to information on all aspects of elections, the effective oversight of campaign finance, timely and comprehensive access for electoral dispute resolution and safeguarding the impartiality of the election administration.

“The holding of a parliamentary meeting to consider improvements to electoral legislation is a positive step that demonstrates good practice in the follow-up of ODIHR’s electoral recommendations,” said Alexey Gromov, ODIHR Election Adviser. “Today’s inclusive discussions provide a sound platform to further improve electoral processes in Austria, and ODIHR is ready to support such efforts.”

The participants discussed a number of other topics, including election observation by civil society, postal voting and election-day procedures, and lifting criminal liability for defamation.

Discussions in a separate meeting with representatives of Interior Ministry, the principal agency in charge of administering elections, focused on the possible engagement of ODIHR in providing legal and technical expertise during the electoral reform process.

All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to promptly following up on ODIHR election assessments and recommendations.