Elections ODIHR Director Ambassador Janez Lenarcˇicˇ (right) and the Chairman of the Russian Central Election Commission, Vladimir Churov, at the ODIHR offices, Warsaw, 1 February. (OSCE/Jens Eschenbaecher) Georgia and Norway. These reviews all provided recommendations for bringing legislation more closely into line with OSCE commitments. Development of Election Observation Methodology The publication of the sixth edition of the ODIHR Election Observation Handbook marked another milestone in the continued development of ODIHR’s comprehensive methodology for election observation. The last update of the handbook was released in April 2005 and, since then, certain developments have taken place. Launched in June to mark the 20th anniversary of the Copenhagen Document, the sixth edition builds on the extensive experience gained by ODIHR over the last five years. It also expands the coverage of some areas, such as the conduct of needs assessment missions, the distinction between different mission formats, the inclusion of analysts on new voting technologies or campaign financing, post-election observation, and follow-up. Since 2005, ODIHR has observed nearly 90 election processes throughout the OSCE area. The newest edition of the handbook continues to address various facets of an election process, from review of the legal framework to assessment of the performance of election administration bodies. It examines the conduct of an election campaign, whether there is equitable access to the media and the media environment, and the procedures in place for adjudicating election-related complaints and appeals. Election-day activities, such as voting, counting and tabulation, as well as the announcement of election results, are also crucial elements addressed by this methodology. ODIHR also continues to identify new areas of development and concern and areas where its observation methodology could be improved. Among other things, the Office continues to look at challenges faced in the observation of new voter technologies, specific elements of voter registration, and issues related to the financing of election campaigns. ODIHR continues to publish guidelines and handbooks on a variety of election-related subjects to provide additional guidance to election observers. At the end of 2010, work continued on the updating or development of publications on a wide variety of issues. Observer Training In recent years, ODIHR has contributed significantly to the training of short-term observers. OSCE participating States, however, rightly continue to take the leading role in ensuring ODIHR Annual Report 2010 15