Elections Urdur Gunnarsdottir OSCE election observers fill in report forms at a polling station in Kant during the 16 December parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan. post-transition countries in the OSCE region, as all participating States are equally bound by the 1990 Copenhagen commitments, and therefore should periodically review their procedures to ensure best electoral practice. In this context, ODIHR has recently deployed an increased number of election assessment missions, which consist of a group of experts who arrive in a given country several days prior to Election Day and remain until shortly after Election Day. They make an overall assessment of the administrative and legal framework for the conduct of elections and provide targeted recommendations. An assessment mission does not comment on the process in the same comprehensive manner as an observation mission, and it does not undertake any systematic or comprehensive observation on Election Day. Since 2002, this type of election mission has permitted ODIHR to follow electoral issues in a broader range of participating States. Support to OSCE field presences in assessing elections and referenda In 2007, ODIHR fielded three election support teams comprising a few experts each to 14 Annual Report 2007 support OSCE field presences in following electoral events where an observation or assessment mission was not deployed. An election support team provides expert advice on electoral developments to OSCE field missions that in turn report on the electoral event through their standard OSCE reporting channels. Such teams were deployed for parliamentary by-elections and for the 21 October referendum in Kyrgyzstan, as well as for the 11 February presidential election in Turkmenistan. II. Reform of electoral legislation The legislative framework for elections in any particular country should provide a solid basis for conducting elections in line with OSCE commitments for genuine democratic elections. Therefore, review of electoral legislation has become an integral part of ODIHR activities to follow up on recommendations contained in election reports. According to the established practice of assisting the participating States in their legislative reform in the field of elections, ODIHR offers comments and assessments on election legislation and relevant amendments. A voluntary