Parliamentary Elections, 19 April 2015

Following an invitation from the Permanent Delegation of Finland to the OSCE to observe the 19 April 2015 parliamentary elections and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) undertook a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) from 10 to 12 February. The NAM included Ms. Tatyana Bogussevich, OSCE/ODIHR Senior Election Adviser, Mr. Vladimir Misev, OSCE/ODIHR Election Adviser, and Ms. Tamara Otiashvili, OSCE/ODIHR Election Adviser.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the pre-election environment and preparations for the parliamentary elections. Based on this assessment, the NAM should recommend whether to deploy an OSCE/ODIHR election-related activity for the forthcoming elections, and if so, what type of activity best meets the identified needs. Meetings were held with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Administrative Court, the National Audit Office, the Population Register Centre, and the Council for Mass Media, as well as with representatives of political parties, media, and civil society.