‘Tense atmosphere and widespread intimidation of voters’, OSCE publishes final report on October elections
The OSCE/ODIHR has issued its final report on the 26 October parliamentary elections.
In a press release, the OSCE noted that concerns regarding the impact of recently adopted legislation on fundamental freedoms and civil society, steps to reduce the independence of institutions involved in the electoral process, and pressure on voters together with election-day practices, ‘limited the ability of some voters to vote without fear of retribution’.
‘Procedurally, election day was generally orderly administered but marked by a tense atmosphere and widespread intimidation of voters, as well as of citizen observers’, the report said.
They added that ‘frequent compromises in vote secrecy and several procedural inconsistencies, as well as reports of intimidation and pressure on voters that negatively impacted public trust in the process.’
While citing the findings of local observer groups that have suggested the election results did not reflect the will of voters, the OSCE report said that the handling of these complaints by the election administration and courts ‘undermined the right to due process, failed to provide an effective remedy, and did not comprehensively address widespread concerns about the integrity of election results.’
In their press release, the OSCE said the observer mission ‘does not recognise or endorse elections’ but ‘provides a comprehensive and impartial assessment of the electoral process based on universal principles, international obligations, and the commitments to hold democratic elections made by all OSCE states’.