Parliamentary Elections, 20 December 2015

Following an official invitation to observe the parliamentary elections in Spain scheduled for 20 December 2015, based on the findings and conclusions of the Needs Assessment Mission deployed from 2 to 5 November 2015, and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE/ODIHR has deployed an Election Assessment Mission (EAM) for these elections.

The OSCE/ODIHR EAM, headed by Dame Audrey Glover, began its work in Spain on 7 December. The EAM includes seven international experts drawn from seven participating States.  

The mission will assess the election process in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards and obligations for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. Observers will, in particular, look into issues such as the legal framework, campaign finance, postal voting regulations, as well as media coverage of campaign.

In line with OSCE/ODIHR methodology, the OSCE/ODIHR EAM will not carry out systematic or comprehensive observation of the voting, counting and tabulation on election day. Mission members will, however, visit a small number of polling stations on election day.

A final report will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the electoral process.

Previous elections

The OSCE/ODIHR has deployed three EAMs for parliamentary elections in Spain since 2004.