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Methodological Outline for an EU Election Observation Mission – “A Common European Approach” The Commission Communication on Electoral Assistance and Observation states that the main objectives of election observation are: • to legitimise an electoral process, where appropriate, • to enhance public confidence in the electoral process, • to deter fraud, • to strengthen respect for human rights, and • to contribute to resolution of conflict. This is a comprehensive set of objectives which requires a comprehensive methodology. The challenge for EU election observation, therefore, has been to develop a long-term election observation methodology, which covers all phases of the election cycle: pre-election, Election Day/s, and immediate post-election. The staged deployment of a Core Team, LTOs and STOs should permit an in-depth analysis and thorough assessment of the entire election process: the legislative framework, the administrative preparations, the election campaign and related human rights issues. It also covers voting, counting procedures and the aggregation of results. Criteria for reaching conclusions on the electoral process All EU EOMs are guided by the following seven criteria in reaching conclusions on the election process: • The degree of impartiality shown by the Election Commission and election officials. • The degree of freedom of political parties and candidates to organise, move, assemble and express their views publicly. • The fairness of access to state resources made available for the election. • The fairness of access for political parties and candidates to the media, in particular the State media. • The manner in which registration of voters is conducted. • Any other issue concerning the essential freedom and fairness of the election. • The conduct of polling and counting of votes. Methodological outline
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