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More than five thousand elections on different levels were held in Russia on September 8, on the so-called single voting day. The average turnout was 41.2%, which slightly exceeded last year’s turnout. In gubernatorial elections, all candidates designated and supported by the Kremlin have won in the first round. However, in the elections to the regional and city councils, where there was relative competition between parties, United Russia scored much less than in previous elections – 16% less on average.

The majority of observers were able to freely attend meetings of bodies that formed the TECs and DECs; only five of them reported obstacles at the first meetings of the commissions; as in the past, absence of legislative guarantees of the proportional representation in the election commissions of all political actors involved in the elections results in arbitrary and discriminatory treatment in respect of opposition parties and movements;

The  pre-election  period hasbeencharacterizedby adelay  in constituting  the parliamentary  majority,  which led  touncertainties with  regard  tothe  date  of the  general  local elections.Politicalcontext  of local elections  was outlinedby  the  establishment  of  a  new  governing alliance  (the PSRM,  PAS,  PPPDA)  andthe PDM  (ruling  party  since  2009)moving  to  the  opposition.Party switchingbythe local elected officialsis anotherconsequence of the relations establishedin the politicaland administrativesystem during the inter-election period.

On June 24, ISFED has released a statement regarding the announcement of Georgian Dream about initiative to introduce proportional electoral system with no threshold for 2020 parliamentary elections. ISFED welcomes the decision to immediately introduce a proportional electoral system. Holding the next parliamentary elections under proportional system is essential for democratic development of Georgia, however decision of eliminating the threshold poses some risks such as fragmentation of parties, difficulty to form government, potential of political crises and instability, etc.

On May 22, the Ukrainian Parliament refused to vote on changes to the electoral law as they were proposed on the same day by President Zelenskiy. This issue summarizes recent developments regarding the (non)reform of Ukraine’s electoral legal framework ahead of the early parliamentary elections scheduled for July 21, 2019.

EPDE's Georgian member ISFED is observing by-elections, which take place 19 May in several electoral districts in Georgia, and presenting its 1st statement about the opening of polling stations and the voting process. ISFED observers were free to access and observe almost all polling stations. They have reported that at majority of electoral precincts, openning of polling stations and the voting process was free from significant violations. At some polling stations procedural shortcomings were found. In most districts, there is a trend of mobilization of party activists outside polling stations, who in most cases are registering voters that arrive at the polls.

In Anton Shekhovtsov’s newest study, he identifies different factors that influence the occurrence of Russian interference in international elections. This article discusses elections in France, Norway, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, and Sweden that took place in 2017-2018, and shows how different combinations of these factors produced different outcomes in terms of Russian meddling.