Greece early parliamentary elections 2019: ODIHR observation mission final report

Following the early parliamentary elections in Greece on 7 July 2019, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published its final report. The report notes that the elections were competitive and offered voters a wide choice of political alternatives, with fundamental freedoms largely respected. Although certain aspects of electoral legislation could be improved, the report notes that the elections were effectively administered and enjoyed a high level of public confidence.

Key recommendations include:

• Reviewing the legal timeframe and related deadlines for early elections, in particular to allow more time for the printing and distribution of ballots.

• Undertaking joint additional efforts to help all voters to participate, by ensuring that polling stations can be independently accessed by voters with disabilities, and providing voters with the right to choose the people who will assist them.

• Introducing effective mechanisms to counter intolerant rhetoric, including xenophobic and inflammatory language that incites to hatred and violence.

• Ensuring the regulatory authority for campaign finance has adequate resources to monitor compliance with regulations, and that it publishes information of public interest quickly, to enhance the transparency of its work.

ODIHR deployed an election assessment mission on 24 June 2019 to observe the elections. All 57 countries across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.