Reports

Parliamentary elections and referendum 2023 - preliminary report

PAF
Poland

Open
Document

EPDE Member the Political Accountability Foundation (PAF) published a short translation of their preliminary election and referendum report. It encompasses a summary of their observation both during the election campaigns as well as voting day itself. In the report, PAF recommends to improve and standardise the training system for members of electoral commissions, introduce mechanisms to ensure respect of the secrecy of the vote, increase and harmonise the rights of observers, revise the number of mandates allocated to electoral districts, reduce the upper limit of the number of inhabitants per voting precinct, and develop mechanisms that seek to prevent the introduction of legislative changes to the regulations governing the electoral and referendum process in a period shorter than the 6 months required by the Constitutional Court.

For the full report in Polish, click here.

 

Policy Alert

The upcoming 2023 referendum and parliamentary elections in Poland: key concerns about the “double celebration” democracy day

EPDE
Poland

Open
Document

The recently published Policy Alert voices concern about the decision of the Polish government to hold a national referendum alongside the elections for Sejm and Senat, citing the short time for public debate, the wording of questions of the referendum, its binding effect, campaign finance regulations, and general organizational issues. The authors propose several recommendations to address these concerns.

By Magdalena Musiał-Karg and Fernando Casal Bértoa.

 

Political Online Campaigns in Central Europe

PAF
Poland

Open
Document

EPDE member Political Accountability Foundation along with Transparency International Slovakia, Political Accountability Foundation Poland, Whom to vote Czechia and K-Monitor Public Benefit Association Hungary published a report on the regulation of political online advertising in the Central Europe region.

 

Manual for the media identifying fake election observers

EPDE

Open
Document

This manual helps journalists identify politically biased or "fake" election observers during election processes.

 

EPDE Publication

Puzzling rules-equal game?

EPDE
EU in focus

Open
Document

This study compares political finance regulations across the EU and identifies common challenges and possible responses to those. The recommendations of this study seek to enhance EU-level regulation of political finance with the aim to replicate this at the national level.

 

Presidential election

Social media monitoring of 2020 presidential election

PAF
Poland

Open
Document

Restrictions imposed on freedom of movement and freedom of assembly due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the first round of the election forced presidential candidates to run their campaign mostly via traditional and social media. PAF found that media outlets were far more active on Facebook than candidates. Candidates had a relatively limited ability in reaching wider audiences and will have to diversify their channels of communication beyond social media to reach other voters.

 

EPDE Publication

Dossier: Impact of COVID-19 on election processes in the EaP and Russia

EPDE

Open
Document

COVID-19 spread rapidly across the world in early 2020, with most governments instituting far-reaching pandemic mitigation measures, including nationwide lockdowns. This dossier compares the lockdown regimes and extraordinary measures taken in response to COVID-19 and how these have impacted election processes in the Eastern Partnership countries and the Russian Federation.

 

Policy Alert

High-speed changes to electoral law disregard international norms

EPDE
Poland

Open
Document

Photo: Arkadiusz Stankiewicz/Agencja Gazeta/Reuters

A new draft law has been approved that provides for postal voting to be the only means for all eligible citizens to cast their vote and will replace existing electoral commissions with new ones. Experts indicate that the bill contains loopholes, inconsistencies, and legislative errors. Conducting presidential elections on its basis would not meet a number of democratic standards and would violate the universality, integrity, and secrecy of the vote.

 

Electoral Law Amendment

Position of the Batory Foundation’s Teams of Experts on the Act of Law amending the Electoral Code

Stefan Batory Foundation
Poland

Open
Document

The Batory Foundation wishes to express a deepest concern, and to draw attention to the threats connected with the change of electoral rules implemented by the Act dated 11th January 2018 on the amendment of certain acts of law in order to enhance the citizens’ participation in the process of electing, functioning and controlling certain public bodies. The Act contains numerous provisions that are at odds with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, since it infringes the principles of decent legislation and the rule of law.

 

Parliamentary Elections

Press Release

EPDE
Poland

Open
Document

From 23 to 26 October 2015 the European Platform for Democratic Elections conducted its short-term election observation mission to the parliamentary election in Poland. EPDE observers note that the Electoral Code of the Republic of Poland does not provide civil independent domestic election observation. EPDE notes that the rights of the proxies and international observers are described insufficiently in the Electoral Code. 

 

Human Dimension Meeting of ODIHR

Harassment of Independent Citizens’ Election Observers – Challenges for international Institutions and Civil Society

EPDE
Poland

Open
Document

Photo: www.osce.org

EPDE is alarmed about the increasing harassment of citizens' election observers in the ODIHR region. EPDE members in Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation and Belarus are affected by intimidation of staff members, criminal persecution, non-registration of the organisations or of labelling of the organisation as "foreign agents". Authoritarian regimes "copy and paste" laws to restrict the watchdog function of independent election observers. EPDE has organised a discussion on the Human Dimension Meeting of ODIHR in Warsaw 25 September 2015. 

 
latest