Election observation missions and assessment visits conducted in 2003
Country
Type of Election
Date
Serbia and Montenegro/Montenegro
Repeat presidential
9 February
Armenia
Presidential
19 February/5 March
UK (Scotland and Wales)
Local assembly
1 May
Serbia and Montenegro/Montenegro
Repeat presidential
11 May
Armenia
Parliamentary
25 May/15 June
Moldova
Municipal
25 May/8 June
Albania
Local-government
12 October
Azerbaijan
Presidential
15 October
Georgia
Parliamentary
2 November
Serbia and Montenegro/Serbia
Presidential
16 November
Croatia
Parliamentary
23 November
UK (Northern Ireland)
Assembly
26 November
Russian Federation
Parliamentary
7 December
Serbia and Montenegro/Serbia
Parliamentary
28 December
Election assessment visits/missions
missions, while also gaining knowledge and experience that
Following visits to France, Turkey, and the United States in
can be reinvested in their own countries.
2002, the ODIHR continued to expand its focus in 2003 to
include democracies in Western Europe and North America.
Co-operation with the OSCE Parliamentary As-
It conducted an assessment of local assembly elections in the
sembly and other bodies
United Kingdom and a working visit to the United States to
The ODIHR again enjoyed close co-operation with the OSCE
follow the special gubernatorial recall election in California.
Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly and Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, and the European Parliament during its elec-
Support to OSCE field missions in assessing elections and referenda
tion observation missions in 2003. A number of
The ODIHR continued to support OSCE field missions to
sions, facilitated by the ODIHR, and contributed to the inter-
conduct assessments of elections and referenda in the
im reports of the international election observation missions.
parliamentarians participated in election observation mis-
event that an OSCE/ODIHR observation or assessment mission is not deployed. In 2003, such assistance was provided to OSCE missions in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan,
2. Technical assistance
and Moldova.
While ODIHR post-election statements are often spotlighted
in the media, much of the ODIHR's election-related work is
Diversification of membership of election observation missions
done behind the scenes, through a range of technical-assis-
Through the voluntary fund established in 2001, the ODIHR
dations made during observation missions; others are the re-
continued to diversify the international profile of its election
sult of requests from participating States.
tance projects. Some projects stem directly from recommen-
observation missions through the recruitment of election experts and qualified observers from Central, Eastern, and
Review of electoral legislation
South–Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Experts
One of the areas in which the ODIHR has become increas-
from eligible countries have added strength to observation
ingly active in recent years is in the review of electoral legis-
10