OSCE/ODIHR experts discuss electoral recommendations with election officials in Tajikistan

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) met with the election administration in Dushanbe on 11 July 2017 to present findings and recommendations from the ODIHR final report on the 1 March 2015 parliamentary elections in Tajikistan.

Selected recommendations were presented to officials from the Central Commission on Elections and Referendums. The discussion focused on recommendations pertaining to enhancing aspects of election management, including reviewing the composition of lower-level election commissions, enhancing the training of polling staff, further developing the voter registration process, and enhancing transparency through the publication of disaggregated election results.

“We note the willingness of election officials to discuss selected recommendations following the observation of the 2015 parliamentary elections,” said Steven Martin, ODIHR Senior Adviser on New Voting Technologies. “ODIHR awaits the development of specific actions to initiate electoral reform and is ready to provide expertise and assistance to the authorities to follow up on ODIHR assessments and recommendations.”

The experts drew attention to issues such as ensuring independence and gender balance within the election administration and enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of the voter registration process, as well as to the importance of increasing the integrity of voting and counting processes. They emphasized that any reform should be undertaken well in advance of future elections and noted the need to ensure that international standards and obligations are taken into consideration. The ODIHR experts expressed readiness to support the authorities in implementing measures to improve the conduct of elections in Tajikistan.

Follow-up activities are an integral component of the standard ODIHR election observation methodology. All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to following up on ODIHR's election assessments and recommendations.