Federal Elections, 23 October 2011

Following an official invitation from the Delegation of Switzerland to the OSCE, and based on the findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission, OSCE/ODIHR has deployed an Election Assessment Mission (EAM) to the 23 October 2011 federal elections.

The purpose of the mission will be to assess and report on the overall framework for the conduct of the elections. Experts will focus on the implementation of internet voting for out-of-country voters, campaign financing, non-citizen voting rights, and cantonal variations in electoral practices.

As part of the assessment process, the mission will meet with relevant federal and cantonal authorities, candidates, political parties, the judiciary, civil society and the media. In accordance with ODIHR methodology, the ODIHR EAM will not carry out systematic or comprehensive observation of the voting, counting, or tabulation on election day, but the experts plan to visit a limited number of polling stations to follow election day procedures.

A final report will be issued about two months after the completion of the election process.