Election-Watch.EU

🌐Hybrid threats are reshaping elections worldwide — can observers keep up? 🗳️From disinformation to cyberattacks and covert operations, hybrid threats pose increasing challenges to both election organisers and observers. These evolving risks demand a rethink of election observation methodologies: ❓ Are we equipped to identify and evaluate such threats effectively? At the recent FURIC conference (11–12 December 2024), organized by the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) in co-operation with OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the discussion focused on exactly this. Election-Watch.EU's Tatyana Hilscher-Bogussevich and Markus Pollak joined the conversation on enhancing observation approaches. Drawing on the experience during the 2024 European Parliament elections, Election-Watch.EU shared insights into: 🔍 Integrating assessments of hybrid threats into election observation, ⚖️ Examining the effectiveness of regulatory safeguards and institutional measures to counter these challenges, 🛑 Overcoming constraints like limited access, specialized expertise, and the evolving nature of hybrid risks. 📢 While hybrid threats are complex, observers—both citizen and international—can play a pivotal role by analyzing legal frameworks, assessing institutional resilience, and providing actionable recommendations backed by good practices to inspire change. #Elections #HybridThreats #ElectionObservation #Disinformation #CyberSecurity #EPDE #OSCEODIHR #ElectionWatchEU

👌 The Venice Commission (VC; European Commission for Democracy through Law; Council of Europe) acknowledged Election Observers as Human Rights Defenders: https://lnkd.in/dBCgHeJz ➡️ States should adopt the necessary provisions in national legislation to provide sufficient possibilities to observe elections ➡️ All states should foresee in their national legislation the possibility for international and citizen non-partisan observers ➡️ Accreditations should be delivered to both international and national election observers, based on clear criteria ➡️ Election observers in Council of Europe’s member states should have effective access to the European Court of Human Rights ❌ The VC raises concerns that intimidation and issues with physical security are on the surge ❗ The VC outlines international instruments which enshrine the role of, and protections for, election observers including the 2023 European Commission Recommendations ❗ The VC references two European Court of Human Right cases that addressed the issue of election observation 1️⃣ Davydov and Others v. Russia 2️⃣ Geraguyn Khorhurd Patgamavorakan Akumb v. Armenia: “[t]he right of access to election-related documents enjoyed by the applicant organisation in the context of the parliamentary election therefore constituted a part of a wider public function performed by election observers which pursued the aim of ensuring the publicity of an election and thereby contributing to its proper conduct and outcome.” 🗳️ The VC outlines the fundamental rights election observers work to protect: 1️⃣ Political Rights: the right to vote and to stand for election 2️⃣ Fundamental Rights directly related to Political Rights ✔️ freedom of assembly and association ✔️ freedom of expression ✔️ right to access to information ✔️ freedom of movement ✔️ right to freedom from discrimination ✔️ adequate remedy in case of electoral violations 3️⃣ Other Fundamental Rights (socioeconomic rights like literacy and education; rights to life, liberty and security) ✴️ Election-Watch.EU requested accreditation in all 2️⃣7️⃣ EU Member States and was accredited in 1️⃣3️⃣ ahead of the recent European Parliament elections. #inclusion #resilience #equality #transparency #accountability #integrity

✴️ Find here our latest joint research work on online campaigning in elections: https://lnkd.in/dfPKdT3F 🗳️ Analysing the role of Telegram in the Austrian general elections 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ 🤲 Together with a renown Austrian research institute, a senior data scientist from @data4good and a researcher from the Universität Wien, and with the support of Democracy Reporting International ☑️ Examining Telegram channels' role in shaping political discourse with a focus on hate speech, extremism and toxicity 🙏 Ognjan Denkovsķi and others.

🗳️ Congratulations OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) election department team to a very well organised DoP meeting in Gdansk! 👏 🙏 Thank you for the interesting agenda, particularly for the panels on security of election observers, and on AI in elections, among others. https://dop2024.org/ 👌 Great for Election-Watch.EU to participate for the first time as an endorsing DoP member. 👍Amb. Urszula GACEK for presenting Election-Watch.EU's good practice examples as stimulus for positive change as new tool. ✔️ See more: https://lnkd.in/eP5CwXv6

📣 7️⃣ Expert organisations, among them @wahlbeobachtung.org, co-published an updated Democracy Index for Austria. 🔎 The Index has 1️⃣ 1️⃣ 4️⃣ parameters comprised in 7️⃣ pillars ➡ Improvements included the new transparency legislation ❗ Pending issues include to establish an independent State Prosecutor to strengthen judicial independence Read more (in German): https://lnkd.in/dvwjH9cr

📣 Election-Watch.EU Report of the European Parliament Elections is out❗ 🗳 Key findings of the Election Assessment Mission (EAM) 2️⃣ 0️⃣ 2️⃣ 4️⃣ ☑ 1️⃣ 9️⃣ good practice examples across the European Union as inspiration for change ☑ 2️⃣ 1️⃣ recommendations to strengthen electoral integrity ✴ six key principles: #integrity, #inclusion, #accountability, #transparency, #equality, and #resilience. 🙏 Please circulate: https://lnkd.in/dBcxMBdH #useyourvote

⏰ Last chance to register for our @SEEEDS https://seeeds.epd.eu/ webinar. We will explore joint lessons learned from the 2024 European Parliament elections to pave the way for an electoral framework that includes all stakeholders.  Join us today (24 Sept. at 16:00 CET): https://lnkd.in/dnE8jcUP …and our amazing panelists: Marie-Hélène Boulanger, European Commission, Sophie Pornschlegel, Europe Jacques Delors, ...and speakers Ognjan Denkovsķi, Democracy Reporting International, Robert Lech, Political Accountability Foundation, European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE), Roy Virah-Sawmy, European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) Michael Lidauer, Tatyana Hilscher-Bogussevich, Armin Rabitsch, Election-Watch.EU #transparency, #inclusion, #accountability, #equality, #integrity, #resilience, #RARE, #useyourvote, #2024EUelections, #EUelections2024, #EU2024

➡ Together with 415 civil society organisations —from 26 Member States and 4 candidate countries — Election-Watch.EU has signed the open letter initiated by Civil Society Europe (CSE) addressed to European decision makers. ➡ CSOs are deeply committed to the promotion of democracy, human rights, and civic engagement across Europe, we call on you to prioritise actions that foster a vibrant civic space, uphold democracy, and safeguard fundamental rights. ❗ The signatory request concrete actions in the next 5️⃣ years, specifically: 🔆 Providing a robust European Civil Society Strategy 🔆Strengthening the mandate for a Commission Vice President responsible for democracy, civic space and dialogue with civil society 🔆 Adopting of a Civil Dialogue Agreement 🔆 Empowering funding policies 🔆 Establishing a European Democracy Semester 🔆 Strengthening the role of the Fundamental Rights Agency 🔗 Share and read the 📧 https://lnkd.in/dmzWN-zc

🗳 Election-Watch.EU is looking forward to share some of its findings and recommendations of its recent Election Assessment Mission to the European Parliament elections ☑ Please register and you will also receive an Email when the final report is published: https://lnkd.in/dnE8jcUP

📣 Election-Watch.EU will present an overview of findings and recommendations of its Election Assessment Mission (EAM) to the 2024 European Parliament Elections 📌 Register for the webinar on Tuesday, 24 September at 16:00 hours: https://lnkd.in/dnE8jcUP ➡ Election-Watch.EU has been collecting good electoral practices in EU Member States & ➡ with the Final EAM Report as reference, continues to focus on electoral reform advocacy, ➡ with the newly elected MEPs and European Commission ❗ In SEEEDS project partnership with European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), Democracy Reporting International, European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE)