Election officials at a polling station in Malinovka check names in the voter registry before handing out ballots during the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan, 19 September 2004.
2. Technical assistance Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia (preliminary comments on draft amendments issued jointly While ODIHR post-election statements are often high- with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission); lighted in the media, much of the ODIHR's election-re-
Constitutional Law on Elections of the Republic of lated work is conducted out of the spotlight, through a Kazakhstan; range of technical-assistance projects. Some projects
stem directly from recommendations made during ob- Electoral Law of the Republic of Tajikistan (draft amendments to the electoral law proposed by servation missions, while others are the result of re- political parties in Tajikistan); quests from participating States.
Law on Elections of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Review of electoral legislation One of the areas in which the ODIHR has become in- Through assisting participating States to bring their creasingly active in recent years is the review of elec- legal frameworks into line with OSCE commitments for toral legislation. In 2004, the ODIHR continued to pro- democratic elections, the ODIHR has been able to en- vide assistance to participating States in meeting their sure an improved legal framework in some participat- electoral commitments through the Electoral Legisla- ing States. Electoral legislation that does not fully com- tion Alert and Assistance Programme, which provides ply with OSCE commitments is not conducive to the expert advice on electoral-law reform on the basis of a conduct of democratic elections; unfortunately, it is not voluntary fund established for this purpose. This fund always guaranteed that a sufficient number of the provides the ODIHR with the flexibility necessary to ODIHR’s recommendations are always taken into ac- quickly respond to requests to support reform of elec- count. tion-related legislation. In 2004, the ODIHR reviewed the following electoral 3. Methodological developments laws:
Electoral Code of the Republic of Albania (recommendations issued jointly with the Council of The ODIHR’s unique and tested methodology provides Europe’s Venice Commission); in-depth insight into all the necessary elements for a 14