Democratization Dinara Oshurahunova (l), Chairperson of the NGO Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society, listens as Alexander Orehov of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) speaks at a roundtable discussion on the effective resolution of electoral disputes in Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, 29 May 2012. (UNDP Kyrgyz Election Support Project) legislatures. Those who draft legislation must reflect these political decisions in law and are sometimes faced with new and complex legislative issues. They might even lack the relevant expertise to complete the task adequately. ODIHR supports legal-reform efforts throughout the OSCE region by reviewing draft and existing legislation, providing expertise to assess compliance of draft or existing laws with relevant international standards, making recommendations for improvement, and sharing good practices to help lawmakers explore other options. This process is often followed by consultations with legislators and civil society on draft or existing legislation. The legal opinions prepared by ODIHR in 2012 were particularly diverse in both their geographical focus and subject matter, addressing, for instance, the calculation of constitutional time limits in Kazakhstan, the alternative civilian service in Armenia, political party legislation in Turkmenistan, restrictions on the disposal of property with the aim of preventing terrorism in Serbia, freedom of religion legislation in Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan, freedom of assembly laws in Belarus and Poland and both gender equality and judicial disciplinary proceedings in Moldova. Ideally, ODIHR assistance is sought by authorities in participating States through all stages of the policy-development and drafting process to assess the existing legislative framework, discuss options and guide decisions on legislative amendments. In 2012, the Ministry of Justice of Moldova used ODIHR’s 2010 Assessment of the Legislative Process in Moldova to prepare a new draft Law on Normative Acts, which was then submitted to ODIHR for review and analysis. Upon completion of the 2012 opinion, ODIHR participated in expert consultations on the draft law, which will continue in 2013, as the draft law progresses through the various stages of the legislative process. In providing legislative assistance to participating States, ODIHR continued to collaborate closely with other OSCE institutions, such as the OSCE Representative on the Freedom of Media and the High Commissioner on National Minorities, as well as other international bodies, including the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, on legislation pertaining to issues such as freedom of assembly, freedom of religion or belief, the judiciary, political parties and national human rights institutions. Co-operation with ODIHR’s Panel of Experts on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, the Core Group of Experts on Political Parties and the Panel of Experts on ODIHR Annual Report 2012 27