Elections Alastair Rabagliati A ballot box is emptied for the count at a polling station in Warsaw during the 21 October parliamentary elections in Poland. 19 participating States that may not be in a position to regularly second observers. Election assessment missions Elections in longer-established democracies generally enjoy higher public confidence, better-tested electoral practices, and proven checks and balances such as an independent judiciary, robust civil society, and pluralistic media. Therefore, the deployment of comprehensive longterm election observation missions involving hundreds of short-term observers usually does not appear to be necessary or even realistic in the face of limited resources. There is proven value, however, in following electoral issues and developments in longer-standing democracies and Election assessment missions Country Type of Election Date Estonia Parliamentary 4 March France Presidential 22 April and 6 May Ireland Parliamentary 24 May Belgium Parliamentary 10 June Turkey Parliamentary 22 July Poland Parliamentary 21 October Switzerland Parliamentary 21 October Annual Report 2007 13