related technical assistance in the period immediately prior to an election process. In order to avoid a conflict of interest, the ODIHR has opted to decline observing elections where the OSCE itself has been tasked with the responsibility of conducting elections. 67 104. Observation is an activity that supports democratic development by formulating recommendations and addressing them to national authorities. This is not to say that the deployment of an EOM cannot influence the prevalent political climate in a specific situation. Indeed, ODIHR observation reports can serve as a common reference point for all competitors in the process. This is particularly relevant as domestic interlocutors often perceive an election observation as a confidence-building measure. Particularly in the context of a contentious election and in environments characterized by post-conflict issues or a high level of social tension, an ODIHR report may assist all parties to navigate their way through an electoral crisis. 105. The successful OSCE formula for election observation is thus based upon a clear mandate entrusted to the ODIHR by all participating States. Its implementation carries delegated obligations for the ODIHR that include determining priorities with relation to the observation calendar; the submission of the commensurate budget proposal and its responsible use; the appointment of qualified core-team personnel including the head of an election observation mission; and the swift response, often on short notice, to unexpected electoral developments. Most importantly, it has required the development of a consistent set of practices and procedures that are applied in order to collect, process, and analyze facts as they manifest themselves in the course of election-related events. These procedures have come to be termed the ODIHR methodology. 106. To ensure consistency and transparency, the ODIHR Election Observation Handbook explains in detail the methodology followed by election observation missions. 68 Although the ODIHR’s methodology has not been fundamentally altered since 1996, it has expanded its focus to take account of specific issues, including the participation of women, inclusion of national minorities, and new voting technologies. The handbook was reissued last year in its fifth edition and has been translated into seven languages. 69 The methodology presented in the handbook has proven to be an important means of providing a structural and consistent assessment, resulting in recommendations to assist participating States to meet their election-related commitments. It has been adopted and adapted by other international organizations, including, most prominently, by the European Union, as outlined in the EU Observation Handbook. According to its own accounts, the Commonwealth of Independent States employs a similar methodology.70 Furthermore, the ODIHR election observation methodology served as an inspiration for drafting the Declaration of Principles for International 67  Exceptions to this approach can be cited in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996, 1997, and 1998. 68  At the 1994 Budapest Summit, the ODIHR was explicitly mandated to prepare such a handbook. It was released in 1996 and warmly received by OSCE delegations and the public at large. 69  Albanian, French, Georgian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian. Further translations could be envisaged, depending on demand and available resources. 70  The CIS has begun to organize separate election observation missions through its Secretariat in the last few years. The ­ODIHR has always welcomed contacts between ODIHR EOMs and the CIS missions in the field. Although the CIS has, on occasion, expressed its aspiration to develop its election observation practice in line with ODIHR methodology, the difference in method is consistently evidenced by different observation conclusions and was recently underscored by CIS Executive Secretary Vladimir Rushailo, who stated on 18 January 2006 that “we often interpret the same facts in different ways”. 36 Common Responsibility: Commitments and Implementation