Parliamentary Elections, 2 April 2023

Following an invitation from the authorities of Finland to observe the 2 April 2023 parliamentary elections and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) undertook a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) from 25 to 27 January. The NAM was composed of Ana Rusu, ODIHR Senior Election Adviser, and Hamadziripi Munyikwa, ODIHR Election Adviser.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the pre-election environment and preparations for the parliamentary elections. Based on this assessment, the NAM recommends whether to deploy an ODIHR election-related activity for the forthcoming elections, and if so, what type of activity best meets the identified needs. Meetings were held with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Administrative Court, the National Audit Office, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, and the Council for Mass Media, as well as with representatives of political parties, media, and civil society. A list of meetings is included as an annex to this report.