Our director Dr John Ault has backed the international call to action on election observation. On the 29th of April, within the framework of the New Democratic Pact for Europe, the conference (Towards Trusted and Inclusive Electoral Processes: The Role of Observers) called on the Council of Europe’s member States, which includes the UK, to recognise the essential role that election observation has in electoral processes.
The declaration states that the Council of Europe member states should;
- Recognise that electoral observation, both domestic and international, plays an
important role in enhancing the transparency and integrity of electoral processes,
thereby reinforcing public trust in democracy, and that election observers act both as
watchdogs of democratic processes and human rights defenders; - Provide a strong legislative framework for domestic observation with a view to
facilitating the work of the observers and ensuring their free movement and
unhindered access to polling stations, as well as observers’ security; - Systematically invite international election observation missions and facilitate their
work by providing a framework that ensures access and security for international
Observers; - Ensure meaningful and timely follow-up to the findings and conclusions of
international election observation missions; - Support the adoption of a specific Council of Europe instrument to guarantee, protect
and promote electoral observation.
Commenting, John Ault said; ‘the Paris conference has brought together international and domestic election observer groups, hosted by the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission. It has shown the ongoing need for effective and integrated election observation across democracies.’
‘We at Democracy Volunteers are delighted to support the Call for Action and will seek to argue the ongoing case for high quality election observation in the UK.’
You can read more about the conference HERE.
