Poland, Parliamentary Elections, 9 October 2011: Needs Assessment Mission Report

Following an invitation from government of the Republic of Poland to observe the 9 October 2011 parliamentary elections, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) undertook a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) from 9 to 11 August. The NAM included Armin Rabitsch, OSCE/ODIHR Senior Election Adviser and Alexander Shlyk, OSCE/ODIHR Election Adviser.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the pre-election environment and the preparations for the elections. Based on this assessment, the NAM should recommend whether to deploy an OSCE/ODIHR election-related activity for the forthcoming elections, and if so, what type of activity best meets the identified needs. Meetings were held with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Election Commission, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the National Broadcasting Council, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, the office of the Ombudsperson, as well as with representatives of political parties, the media and civil society.