Parliamentary Elections, 4 March 2018

Following an official invitation to observe the parliamentary elections in Italy, scheduled for 4 March 2018, based on the findings and conclusions of the Needs Assessment Mission deployed from 11 to 13 December 2018, 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 (United Kingdom), began its work in Italy on 20 February. The EAM includes six international staff, drawn from six OSCE participating States.

The mission will assess the election process in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. Observers will, in particular, look into the implementation of a recently revised electoral system and new campaign finance rules, the administration of elections, and the conduct of the 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 previously observed two elections in Italy, most recently the 2008 parliamentary elections.