Handbook On Observing and Promoting the Participation of National Minorities in Electoral Processes

The present publication builds on the Guidelines to Assist National Minority Participation in the Electoral Process by including new material on the development of international standards and good practice in the field of promoting the participation of national minorities in electoral processes.

In 2001, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) published Guidelines to Assist National Minority Participation in the Electoral Process (2001 Guidelines). The main objective of the 2001 Guidelines was to give participating
States specific advice on how they could implement the Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Public Life (Lund Recommendations) with respect to electoral processes, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of
the available options.

As some 13 years have passed since publication of the 2001 Guidelines, there is certainly good cause to revisit and update their contents. The present publication builds on the 2001 Guidelines by including new material on the development of international
standards and good practice in the field of promoting the participation of national minorities in electoral processes.

In addition, this publication contains a new chapter outlining the methodology used by ODIHR election observation missions (EOMs) to observe the participation of national minorities. Included in this chapter are insights and experience gained over nearly two decades of election observation. The practical part is aimed at election observers from the OSCE in particular; observers from other organizations who are concerned with the question of participation of national minorities will find useful information on this topic that is also relevant in other electoral contexts. Owing to the inclusion of this practical part in the publication, it is released in a handbook format with the hope it will provide guidance to experts and practitioners working in this area.