General Election, 7 May 2015

Following an invitation from the United Kingdom Delegation to the OSCE, and based on the findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission from 2 to 5 March 2015, the OSCE/ODIHR has deployed an Election Expert Team (EET) to observe the 7 May general election.

Activities of the EET

The EET began its work on 22 April and includes three international experts, drawn from three OSCE participating States.

The team will assess the election process in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. Observers will, in particular, look into aspects related to the implementation of legislation and application of election procedures, voter registration and campaign finance.

In line with ODIHR’s methodology for assessment missions, the team will not carry out systematic or comprehensive observation of the voting, counting and tabulation on election day. Team members will, however, visit a small number of polling stations across the country to follow election day procedures.

The EET will remain in the United Kingdom until 10 May. A final report will be issued approximately two months after the completion of the election process.

Previous elections

The OSCE/ODIHR has previously assessed elections in the United Kingdom in 2010, 2005 and 2003.