Presidential Election, January 2018

In anticipation of an invitation from the authorities of the Czech Republic to observe the 2017 elections to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament (parliamentary elections) and 2018 presidential election, and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) undertook a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to the Czech Republic from 5 to 7 June 2017. The NAM included Ms. Ana Rusu, OSCE/ODIHR Senior Election Adviser, and Mr. Alexey Gromov, OSCE/ODIHR Election Adviser.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the pre-election environment and preparations for the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. Based on this assessment, the NAM should recommend whether to deploy an OSCE/ODIHR election-related activity for either or both forthcoming elections, and if so, what types of activities best meet the identified needs. Meetings were held with officials from state institutions as well as with representatives of political parties, media, and civil society. A list of meetings is annexed to this report.