Elections  Voters cast ballots at a polling station in Tbilisi during the Georgian presidential election, 5 January 2008. Main Issues kk Democratic standards: Much progress has been made in many OSCE participating States in bringing electoral practices in line with commitments based on the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen criteria, which serve as the basis for ODIHR’s assessment of individual elections. While there have been improvements in the legal and administrative framework for elections, these improvements only make a difference if they affect actual practice. Therefore, ODIHR also continues to report serious flaws in the conduct of elections in a number of OSCE participating States. The list of shortcomings observed in one or more states is extensive, including the restriction of fundamental freedoms, limitations of the opportunity and right to run for public office, impediments to universal and equal suffrage resulting from inadequate voter registration, inequitable media access and biased coverage favouring particular candidates or parties, the abuse of state administrative resources, limitations on access for domestic and international observers, ineffectual complaints and appeals procedures, and fraud during the counting and tabulation of votes. A ballot paper in braille for the 9 March 2008 parliamentary elections in Spain. OSCE/Vanja Skoric T he OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) assists the OSCE participating States in conducting democratic elections in line with their OSCE Commitments. The office fulfils its election-related mandate through the deployment of election observation missions and by engaging in follow-up activities aimed at fostering the implementation of recommendations contained in reports by ODIHR observation missions. While the observation of elections has become its highest-profile activity, the Office also conducts a range of other election-related activities, including the review of electoral legislation, the publication of guidelines and handbooks on election issues, and the training of election observers. In response to its specific mandate and tasks, ODIHR has developed a comprehensive methodology for election observation, based on a long-term approach involving an assessment of all key elements of the electoral process, including the legislative framework, electoral administration and the nature of the campaign in vital questions like access to the media. While ODIHR election-related activities in the 1990s focused primarily on supporting democratic transitions in post-Communist countries, recent years have seen the office significantly expand its geographical coverage to follow election issues in a wider range of OSCE participating States. Assistance from ODIHR has contributed to progress in a number of states that have sought to bring their election legislation in line with OSCE commitments and in the conduct of democratic elections. The implementation of ODIHR recommendations continues, however, to be a challenge for some countries and, as a result, their electoral processes are not fully in line with OSCE commitments. Annual Report 2008 9