Poland 2025 presidential election: ODIHR experts present final report and discuss electoral recommendations

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented their final report on Poland’s presidential election in Warsaw this week and discussed its key findings and recommendations. 

“We appreciate the ongoing dialogue on ODIHR’s electoral recommendations with our Polish counterparts,” said Dunja Mijatović, Head of the ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission for the May 2025 presidential election. “As genuine democracy is a shared responsibility, we encourage an open and consultative discussion of the planned election-related reforms well in advance of the next elections. Poland can rely on ODIHR’s continued support in further improving the election-related legislation and practice”.

The delegation held discussions with government officials, the election administration, the Supreme Court, the public broadcaster, the office of the Ombudsperson and representatives of civil society organizations. The exchanges focused on the planned reforms to election legislation, ongoing efforts to address disinformation and manipulative content, measures to further improve the media environment, and the need to ensure the right to an effective legal remedy. 

The visit also offered an opportunity to discuss gender-related election recommendations aimed at increasing women’s active participation in political life at a specifically dedicated event organized together with ODIHR’s CHANGE project.

ODIHR experts also outlined potential areas for joint work between ODIHR and national institutions. They offered assistance to bring the electoral process closer in line with OSCE commitments and international standards, including legal reviews and sharing of best practices. 

ODIHR’s election observation also assesses the country’s efforts to implement previous recommendations through changes in legislation, procedures and practices. For Poland, the ODIHR mission evaluated the follow-up to recommendations on the 2020 presidential and 2023 parliamentary elections. It concluded that three recommendations were fully implemented, one recommendation was mostly implemented, and four were partially addressed, while the others remain to be carried out. 

Further details can be found in the ODIHR Electoral Recommendations Database. All OSCE participating States have committed to following up promptly on ODIHR's election assessments and recommendations.