ODIHR expert group formed to advise states on political party regulation

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) announced on 5 October the formation of the Core Group of Experts on Political Parties who will help to promote fair and effective regulation of political parties in the OSCE area.

“This Group will play a vital role as an advisory and consultative body, providing assistance to participating States, upon their request, in the equitable regulation of political parties and in meeting their OSCE commitments to promote individuals’ rights to form them, as enshrined in the 1990 Copenhagen Document,” said Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the ODIHR Director, speaking in Warsaw on the sidelines of the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting,

Lenarčič announced the appointment of the Core Group’s first members. The seven prominent experts on the regulation of political parties from Bulgaria, Latvia, the Russian Federation, Sweden, Turkey and the United States, were all directly involved in a two-year process of drafting guidelines in this area in co-operation with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.

This work resulted in the publication, in May, of the ODIHR-Venice Commission Guidelines on Political Party Regulation, which will provide the basis for much of the Core Group’s activities. The Venice Commission has been invited to participate in the Group, with observer status.