Elections States that may not regularly second individuals for ODIHR observation missions. observation on election day. Two such missions were fielded in 2005 to the parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom and in Bulgaria. Election assessment missions Since 2002, the ODIHR has been deploying election assessment missions to longer-established or post-transition democracies. Such missions consist of a group of experts who visit a country for a period of time immediately prior to and during election day to make an overall assessment of the administrative and legal framework for the conduct of elections and to 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 A comprehensive but succinct overview of the ODIHR’s election observation methodology is now available in a brochure that was published in December entitled Election Observation : A decade of monitoring elections: the people and the practice. Available already in English, French, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian, the Election Observation Handbook will be published in a number of other languages in 2006. Support to OSCE field missions in assessing elections and referenda The ODIHR also fielded small teams of experts to support the assessment of elections by OSCE field missions in three cases where an observation mission was not deployed: parliamentary by-elections in Georgia, local government elections in Kyrgyzstan, and a municipal election in Moldova. II. Technical assistance Much of the ODIHR’s election-related work is conducted out of the spotlight, through a range of technical-assistance projects. Some of these stem directly from recommendations made during observation missions; others are the result of specific requests from participating States. Review of electoral legislation1 To address shortcomings in the election legislation of participating States, and to bring such legislation more closely into line with OSCE commitments, the ODIHR uses a voluntary fund to provide expert legal reviews and advice. In 2005, the ODIHR issued a number of legislative reviews and opinions, many conducted jointly with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission: k Amendments to Azerbaijan’s Electoral Code; k Moldova’s amended Election Code; k Ukraine’s amended law on the election of members of parliament; k The draft law on the state election commission of Croatia; k Amendments to Armenia’s Election Code; k Uzbekistan’s parliamentary election law. In addition, the ODIHR and the OSCE Secretariat jointly conducted two out-of-region activities in 2005: the deployment of a Training Needs Assessment Team to the Palestinian 1 For more information about the ODIHR’s activities in the area of legislative review, see Legislative Support, pp. 45-49. 12 ANNUAL REPORT 2005