Elections Urdur Gunnarsdottir A voter casts his ballot in Zagreb during the 25 November parliamentary elections in Croatia. Domestic election observation, as conducted by both partisan and non-partisan observers, is a civic responsibility that helps to ensure transparency, accountability, and public confidence in election processes. ODIHR has supported capacity-building efforts and promoted an exchange of experience and best practice among domestic observers since 2001. Given that methodologies may vary, including their means of implementation, considerable benefit can be gained from exchanges of experience among domestic observer groups in the OSCE region. Ultimately, such exchanges can lead to a more standardized and consistent approach to domestic election observation. By giving non-partisan domestic observers access to OSCE-mandated meetings and ODIHR meetings on election-related issues, the Office has provided them with networking opportunities and international fora to advocate for their rights and to disseminate information about their situation in the OSCE area. ODIHR also continues to raise awareness and express concern on occasions when the rights of domestic observers are obstructed or infringed by the authorities. IV. Co-operation with other international election observation networks Throughout 2007, ODIHR co-operated closely with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and, on occasion, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Furthermore, ODIHR regularly met with observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the field in order to exchange findings. ODIHR developed contacts with national election administrators and with other organizations involved in international election observation. In September, ODIHR participated in the annual General Assembly meeting of the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Bodies and in the Fourth European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies, which was organized by the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission in Strasbourg. In October, ODIHR representatives attended the second training workshop for international election observers from the CIS, which was organized in St. Petersburg by the CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly and the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation. Annual Report 2007 17