Partners in Implementation
pa rt I
tant instruments in assisting all participating States to implement their commitments,
including respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. In all relevant activities, possibilities for strengthening co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly, and
through it, national parliaments will be actively pursued.
A. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
I. General Mandate, Including Additional General Tasks
Paris 1990 (A New Era of Democracy, Peace and Unity)
We decide to establish an Office for Free Elections in Warsaw to facilitate contacts and
the exchange of information on elections within participating States.
Paris 1990 (Supplementary Document to Give Effect to Certain Provisions Contained
in the Charter of Paris for a New Europe)
G. The Office for Free Elections
1. The function of the Office for Free Elections will be to facilitate contacts and the
exchange of information on elections within participating States. The Office will thus
foster the implementation of paragraphs 6, 7 and 8 of the Document of the Copenhagen
Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE (the relevant provisions are contained in Annex 1).
2. To this end, the Office will
• compile information, including information provided by the competent authorities
of the participating States, on the dates, procedures and official results of scheduled
national elections within participating States, as well as reports of election observations, and provide these on request to governments, parliaments and interested private organizations;
• serve to facilitate contact among governments, parliaments or private organizations
wishing to observe elections and competent authorities of the States in which elections are to take place;
• organize and serve as the venue for seminars or other meetings related to election
procedures and democratic institutions at the request of the participating States.
3. The Office will take into account the work of and co-operate with other institutions
active in this field.
4. The Office will carry out other tasks assigned to it by the Council.
Annex 1 (Copenhagen 1990)
(6) The participating States declare that the will of the people, freely and fairly expressed
through periodic and genuine elections, is the basis of the authority and legitimacy of
all government. The participating States will accordingly respect the right of their citOSCE Human Dimension Commitments 31
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