France 2022 presidential election: OSCE/ODIHR election assessment mission final report

The April 2022 presidential election in France was competitive and pluralistic, and fundamental freedoms were respected. Voters were provided with ample and diverse information enabling them to make an informed choice among the 12 candidates, and the election administration worked effectively and enjoyed a high level of public trust. Meanwhile, some aspects of the electoral process need improvement, including those related to voting methods, election observation, campaign finance oversight and media regulation.

These are some of the main conclusions from the final report on France’s 2022 presidential election, published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report offers 16 recommendations to bring elections in France closer in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.

Recommendations include:

• Consolidating the electoral legal framework, clarifying legal provisions on the use of public resources during the campaign, refining campaign finance rules and guaranteeing the access of citizen and international observers to all stages of the electoral process;

• Reviewing the existing legal framework regulating media concentration, defamation and campaign coverage;

• Cancelling proxy voting and exploring alternative voting methods to uphold OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections;

• Collecting comprehensive gender-disaggregated data about the electoral process and making it available to the public;

• Enhancing transparency and the effective oversight of campaign finances;

• Ensuring effective resolution of election disputes;

• Training polling board chairs to ensure effective and consistent management on election day;

• Continuing efforts to ensure the independent participation of people with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities in public life.

ODIHR deployed an Election Assessment Mission on 28 March 2022 to observe the presidential election. All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.