[ Elections ] Serzhan Abdykarimov (l), the Director of the Department of European Co-operation in Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry, discusses Kazakhstan’s electoral system with Ambassador Daan Everts, the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term observation mission for the 2011 presidential election in Kazakhstan, Astana, 9 September 2011. (OSCE/Andrew Offenbacher) that such an activity could add in relation to the process. In 2011, ODIHR conducted 20 NAMs throughout the OSCE area. These NAMs consider: '' Whether the legal framework for elections is in line with OSCE commitments; '' The level of public confidence in the election administration and the conduct of elections; '' The state of preparedness of the election administration; '' Respect for fundamental rights and freedoms; '' Existing checks and balances; '' The complaints and appeals system; '' The level of civil society activity; and '' The quality of the media environment. ODIHR makes due effort to send a NAM to every participating State holding an election. However, due to limited resources in terms of funding and staff, this is not always possible. A NAM may also determine that an observation activity for a particular election may not be necessary or feasible and, instead, recommend increased follow-up on previous recommendations or intensified engagement with local actors on electoralreform issues. In 2011, ODIHR deployed election-related missions for 20 elections in 19 participating States. As with all ODIHR missions, these were guided by two principal objectives: to assess whether the elections met OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections and were conducted in accordance with national legislation, and to offer subsequent recommendations to help the states in question improve their electoral processes and legislation. The purpose of election observation is not to commend or criticize those countries in which ODIHR deploys observation missions. Instead, the Office offers constructive feedback and provides concrete recommendations to rectify shortcomings. Over the course of 2011, ODIHR published 69 election-related reports, including NAM reports, interim reports, statements of preliminary findings and conclusions, final reports and legal reviews, with the objective of fulfilling its mandate in a transparent and accountable manner. For six of the 20 elections, ODIHR deployed fullscale election observation missions (EOMs), including long- and short-term observers, which are seconded by individual participating States, as well as core teams of experts. Limited election observation missions (LEOMs), which include a core team of experts and long-term observers but no short-term observers, as they do not conduct a comprehensive and systematic observation of election day, were deployed for elections in four participating States. As per ODIHR’s ODIHR Annual Report 2011 11