Parliamentary Elections, 9-10 April 2006

In response to an invitation from the Italian Government, ODIHR deployed an election assessment mission to assess the general election on 9-10 April.

Headed by Peter Eicher of the United States, the mission included eight experts from eight OSCE participating States.

According to the mission's final report: "Italy has a tradition of democratic elections, and the 9 - 10 April 2006 general election was conducted in overall keeping with this tradition. The registration process for parties, coalitions and their candidates facilitated the participation of a broad field of contestants in the election. The civil and political rights of voters and candidates were respected. Voters turned out in large numbers on election days to cast their ballots, following a competitive election campaign. The voter turnout was reported as 83.6 percent. In general, women made up 24 per cent of candidates for the Chamber, and 21 per cent for the Senate."

Members of the assessment team

Head of Mission: Peter Eicher (USA)
Deputy Head of Mission: Stefan Krause (Germany)
Political Analyst: Delphine Blanchet (France)
Political Analyst: Alex Baturo (Belarus)
Election Analyst: Rumen Maleev (Bulgaria)
Election Analyst: Alex Yurin (Russian Federation)
Legal Analyst: Karen Gainer (Canada)
Media Analyst: Rasto Kuzel (Slovakia)
Finance Officer: Kasia Janki-Kowalczyk (Poland)