ANNUAL REPORT 2004 Elections Elections As a community of countries committed to democ- This methodology was first developed nearly a racy, the OSCE places great emphasis on promoting decade ago; it has also served as a model for other democratic elections. The commitments agreed international organizations. In recent years, the upon by all OSCE participating States in the 1990 ODIHR has adapted its methodology to permit a fo- Copenhagen Document, for example, emphasize cused assessment on specific aspects of an electoral fundamental principles that are central to a demo- process, primarily in more-advanced democracies, cratic tradition and can be summed up in seven key through the deployment of election assessment mis- words: universal, equal, fair, secret, free, transpar- sions. ent, and accountable. While these principles are often reflected among the formal electoral rights of The ODIHR’s election observation and assessment citizens, this in itself is not enough; respective na- activities tie in with its work in other areas in sup- tional authorities must demonstrate a commensu- porting strong democratic institutions, rule of law, rate level of political will to make elections gen- and democratic governance. uinely democratic and meaningful. The ODIHR’s reputation as Europe's leading agency An election is more than a one-day event in the field of election observation is built upon its systematic, comprehensive, and verifiable election observation methodology. Based on the premise that an election is more than a one-day event, this methodology provides in-depth insight into all elements necessary for a democratic electoral process, Election observation including the legal and regulatory framework; the election administration; the election campaign, in- The objectives of the ODIHR’s election observation ac- cluding the media environment; the complaints and tivities are twofold: (1) to assess electoral processes in appeals process; voting, counting, and tabulation; accordance with OSCE election-related commitments; and the announcement of results. and (2) to offer recommendations, where necessary, to bring electoral processes into line with those commitments. It is important to highlight this second point, as the purpose of election observation is not simply to commend such countries that conduct their elections well or to criticize those countries that may fall short of meeting their commitments; rather, the purpose is to offer proactive and constructive input, whereby the ODIHR not only calls attention to specific areas for possible improvement but also makes recommendations and provides assistance to rectify any shortcomings. 9