8  •  Elections Elections As a community committed to the respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, OSCE participating States have committed themselves to upholding the key principles of democratic elections — universality, equality, transparency, secrecy of the vote, accountability, fairness and freedom. In recognizing the importance of democratic elections, OSCE participating States have mandated ODIHR to assist them in the implementation of election-related commitments through the conduct of election observation. The Office’s comprehensive election observation methodology is grounded in independence, impartiality, and professionalism, and seeks to provide needsfocused and long-term analysis of electoral processes observed. In 2015, ODIHR reports and recommendations continued to offer participating States a comprehensive and impartial picture of the electoral processes observed and of possible improvements. While numerous examples of commendable electoral practice were noted, a number of issues continue to pose challenges for participating States and have the potential to negatively impact citizens’ election-related rights. During the year, ODIHR increased its focus on responding to requests for post-electoral dialogue and follow-up. This included in-country presentations and discussions of final reports, expert consultations and legal reviews of drafts of or amendments to election-related legislation.