Parliamentary Electoral Dialogues

Several MEPs participated in the pre- and post-electoral dialogues, which took place on 2 and 7 December 2021 respectively. The EU Ambassador in the Gambia, Mr Corrado Pampaloni, was the main speaker during the first event. At the second one, he shared the floor with the EU Chief Observer, Mr Norbert Neuser (S&D, Germany), MEP.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections were held according to democratic standards, the electoral code and other laws, which have an impact on the organisation of the elections, as well as the challenges, which the country will face in the years to come.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the EU EOM preliminary statement, press release and final report.

Several MEPs participated in the pre-electoral dialogue, which took place on 15 June 2021. The EU Ambassador in Nicaragua, Mr Pelayo Castro Zuzuarregui, and the EEAS expert on election observation, Mr Sylvain Schultze, were the main speakers.

The speakers made a comprehensive analysis of the country's electoral reforms, and assessed their repercussions on the electoral process. The crackdown against Nicaraguan opposition forces and civil society was also discussed.

The backdrop of this exchange of views was the EU decision not to deploy an EOM to observe the elections due to the country's lack of compliance with the minimum standards for credible, transparent and inclusive elections.

The pre- and post-electoral dialogues on Ethiopia's general elections took place on 12 April and 24 June 2021 respectively with the participation of a large number of MEPs.

The elections in Ethiopia were due to take place on 29 August 2020, but were postponed to 5 June 2021 because of the Covid-19 sanitary crisis. The elections saw Ethiopians vote for the new Members of the House of Peoples' Representatives (the lower Chamber of the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly) and the Members of State Councils.

On 12 April, Mr Luca Zampetti, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation, and Mr Alexander Rondos, EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, were the main speakers. The EU Ambassador, Mr Johan Borgstamn, and Mr Jean-Marc Pisani, Head of Division for the Horn of Africa and East Africa in the EEAS, were the main speakers on 24 June.

No official documents are available for consultation regarding the general elections, as there was no electoral mission conducted by European Union.

Several MEPs participated in the pre- and post-electoral dialogues on the early parliamentary elections in Armenia, which took place on 15 and 23 June 2021 respectively. The EU Ambassador in Armenia, Mr Andrea Wiktorin, and the European Commission official, Mr Jeroen Willems, were the speakers on 15 June. On 23 June, the Chief Observer of the OSCE/ODIHR Mission in Armenia, Mr Eoghan Murphy, provided Members with his analysis on the conduct of the elections.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections were held according to democratic standards, the recent electoral code reform and its impact on the participation of women as well as the unstable security situation in some of the country's regions.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the OSCE/ODIHR Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions.

Two pre-electoral dialogues on the postponed legislative elections in Palestine took place on 11 and 12 May 2021 with the participation of several MEPs. National Democratic Institute (NDI) officials were the speakers at the first one, while the Head of the EU Delegation to West Bank and Gaza Strip, Ambassador Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, was the speaker at the second one.

Both meetings provided MEPs with an informative assessment of the preparations for the legislative elections before they were postponed on 29 April. Moreover, the EU Ambassador outlined the efforts of the EU Delegation and the EEAS Headquarters to defuse tensions and facilitate the resumption of the electoral process.

All MEPs, who took the floor, expressed the hope that the electoral process in Palestine would resume in the interest of the Palestinian people and their democratic aspirations, and did not hide their concerns about recent violent incidents.

The last legislative elections that took place in Palestine were in 2006.

For more information on the discussions that took place during the virtual meeting, you can click on the NDI Virtual Pre-Election Analysis Team statement.

Several MEPs participated in the pre- and post-electoral dialogues, which took place on 20 and 29 April 2021 respectively. The EU Ambassador, Mr Luigi Soreca, shared the floor with the European Commission and EEAS officials, Ms Elsa Fenet and Mr Alberto Cammarata, as well as the Head of the ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission, Ambassador Urszula Gacek.

The discussions focused on the highly polarised political environment in which the elections took place, the inflammatory rhetoric used by the Socialist and Democratic Parties during the campaign period, which exacerbated the tension, and the decision of the government not to allow out-of-country voting.

The polls were organised under a revised electoral code, which partially implemented previous recommendations formulated by the OSCE/ODIHR. In contrast to the previous elections, the opposition parties did not boycott these ones.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the OSCE/ODIHR Preliminary Conclusions.

Several MEPs attended the post-electoral dialogue, which took place on 26 May 2021. The main speakers of this exchange of views were the EU Ambassador in Peru, Mr Diego Mellado, and the EEAS election expert, Mr Sylvain Schultze.

The discussion focused on the extent to which the first round of these elections was held according to democratic standards and the electoral code, including the transparency of the electoral system and the impartiality of the electoral bodies. The participants also discussed the possible outcomes of the run-off elections on 6 June 2021 and the challenges facing the country in the near future.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the European Union
Election Expert Mission to Peru Final Report.

Several MEPs participated in the pre- and post-electoral dialogues, which took place on 22 February and 18 March 2021 respectively. The EU Ambassador to El Salvador, Mr Andreu Bàssols, and the EEAS election expert, Mr Sylvain Schultze, were the main speakers of both events.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections were held according to democratic standards, the electoral code and other laws, which have an impact on the organisation of the elections, as well as the challenges, which the country will face in the years to come.

Moreover, participants discussed the level of implementation of previous recommendations formulated by EU EOMs, and agreed that transparent political campaigning should remain an objective of future electoral processes. They also touched upon the absence of EU Follow-up Missions to the country.

No official documents are available for consultation regarding the legislative and municipal elections, as there was no electoral mission in the field conducted by the European Union.

Several MEPs participated in the pre- and post-electoral dialogues, which took place on 11 February and 26 February 2021 respectively. During the pre-electoral dialogue, the main speakers included European Commission officials, Ms Elsa Fenet and Mr David Cullen, the Council of the EU official, Ms Anna-Maria Boura, and the EEAS election expert, Mr Gianfranco Bochicchio. The EU Ambassador in Kosovo, Mr Tomáš Szunyog, was the main speaker during the post-electoral dialogue.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections were held according to democratic standards, the electoral code and other laws, which have an impact on the organisation of the elections. Many speakers also referred to previous EU EOM recommendations and the level of their implementation as well as the process of verification of the candidates by the Electoral Commission.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the European Union
Election Expert Mission final report.

Several MEPs participated in the pre-electoral dialogue, which took place on 3 February 2021. The EU Ambassador in Ecuador, Mr Charles-Michel Geurts, and the EEAS election expert, Mr Sylvain Schultze, were the main speakers. An EOM had been planned for the elections, but due to the pandemic, an Election Expert Mission was deployed instead.

The discussions focused on the socioeconomic challenges facing the country, the fragmentation of its political landscape and the general mistrust of the electorate in politics and politicians. The speakers also referred to the pre-election period, which was broadly peaceful, except for a confrontation, closer to Election Day, between the two electoral institutions of the country over the candidacy of one of the contenders.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the EU Election Expert Mission final report.

The post-electoral dialogue took place on 13 January 2021 with the participation of several MEPs. Ambassador Jarosław Domański, Head of the OSCE/ODHIR Limited Election Observation Mission, and the EU Ambassador in Kazakhstan, Mr Sven-Olov Carlsson, were the main speakers of this event.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections were held according to democratic standards, the electoral code and other laws, which have an impact on the organisation of the elections, as well as the challenges, which the country will face in the years to come, namely regarding civil and human rights. The speakers also stressed that the country had not yet applied the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, following the 2016 and 2019 missions to the country.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the OSCE-ODIHR Preliminary Findings and Conclusions Parliamentary report.

Several MEPs participated in the post-electoral dialogue on 12 January 2021. The EU Ambassador in Kyrgyzstan, Mr Eduard Auer and the Head of OSCE/ODIHR's Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM), Mr Tamás Meszerics, were the main speakers.

During the discussion, the speakers agreed that while Election Day was well organised and fundamental freedoms were generally respected, the campaign was dominated by one candidate, resulting in an uneven playing field.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission Final Report.

On 10 December 2020, a post-electoral dialogue brought together several MEPs, the EU Chief Observer, Mr Javier Nart (Renew, Spain), MEP, and the EU Ambassador in Ghana, Ms Diana Acconcia.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections were held according to democratic standards. The issues, which the participants raised, included the polarised campaign atmosphere, the misuse of state resources for campaign events, and the alleged vote buying by both major parties. They also underlined that campaign financing was still a concern, as only five of the 2016 EU recommendations were (partially) implemented.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the EU EOM Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Final Report.

Several MEPs participated in the post-electoral dialogue, which took place on 25 November 2020, during which the EU Ambassador in Myanmar, Mr Ranieri Sabatucci, was the main speaker.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections were held according to democratic standards, as well as the implementation of the 2015 EU recommendations regarding the Electoral Commission UEC's independence, transparency and inclusiveness to ensure confidence among stakeholders. The participants also spoke about the challenges the country will face in the future.

No official documents are available for consultation regarding the general elections, as there was no electoral mission in the field conducted by the European Union.

On 10 November 2020 several MEPs joined OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) officials, including Ambassador Ms Urszula Gacek, Head of Mission, during a post-electoral dialogue.

The discussions focused on the emergency funds distributed to the states to address election-related issues stemming from the pandemic, the follow-up regarding past recommendations, the legal restrictions on the presence of international observers, as well as the states and counties not allowing non-partisan citizens and international observers inside polling premises.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on OSCE/ODIHR LEOM Final Report and Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions.

Several MEPs joined Ambassador Ms Jillian Stirk, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Mission, and Ms Lusine Badalyan, Deputy Head of OSCE/ODIHR Limited Mission, for the pre-electoral dialogue, which took place on 26 October 2020. On 3 December 2020, a post-electoral dialogue also took place, during which the EU Ambassador in Georgia, Mr Carl Hartzell, was the main speaker.

The discussions focused, among others, on the electoral code, the impact of the pandemic on the electoral campaign, the citizens' mistrust of politicians, as perceived during the whole campaign period, the refusal of the ruling party to participate in debates on local media, and the possible organisation by the European Parliament of a Jean Monet dialogue with the the Georgian parliament.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission Final Report Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions.

Several MEPs participated in the post-electoral dialogue, which took place on 3 November 2020. The EU Ambassador in Bolivia, Mr Michael Dóczy, was the main speaker.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections were held according to democratic standards. Moreover, several speakers underlined the political tension in the country, due to, among other issues, the annulment of the 2019 elections.

The Ambassador also informed the Members that the EU delegation had already been working on a new Cooperation Programme with Bolivia and supporting the country's democratic transition.

Due to the pandemic, instead of the foreseen EOM, an election expert mission was deployed in La Paz.For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the EU Reinforced Election Expert Mission Final Report.

The pre-electoral dialogue, which took place on 13 July 2020, brought together several MEPs and several officials of the OSCE/ODIHR Special Election Assessment Mission team based in Skopje, including its head, Ms Laima Andrikienė.

The discussions focused on the extent to which the elections would be held according to democratic standards, the country's EU ambitions and the way the political parties interacted with the voters during the pandemic.

For more information about the conduct of the elections, you can click on the OSCE/ODIHR Special Election Assessment Mission final report and the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions.