OSCE deploys election observation mission ahead of Polish election

With a little over a month to go before the national elections, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (ODIHR) has deployed a Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) to Poland, with a particular focus on recent legislative changes, the financing of political campaigns and the role of the media.

At the invitation of national authorities, the Election Observation Mission will observe the parliamentary elections in Poland on 15 October with Douglas Wake as Chief Observer and Tamara Otiaschvili as Deputy Chief Observer, ODIHR announced.

The mission’s format was determined due to the Needs Assessment Mission.

“In this methodology developed by ODIHR over many years, in almost every case where a national election is to be held, there is a needs assessment mission deployed to see what the conditions are on the ground,” Wake told Monday’s press conference in Warsaw.

Under that format, the mission experts look at the possible changes in legislation in the country and talk to several interlocutors, including government officials, election officials, and members of parliament from both ruling and opposition parties, the media, and civil society.

The Needs Assessment Mission for the parliamentary elections in Poland scheduled for 15 October occurred earlier this year. A report has been published, which is available on the OSCE’s website.

In the report, the experts point to an exceptionally polarised media landscape in Poland, with attempts to prevent non-European Economic Area (EEA) entities from owning Polish media companies. Other problems include what has been described as intolerant campaign rhetoric and the use of publicly funded events for campaign messages.

Wake said that the report begins to assess where certain changes may have been in line with the previous OSCE-ODIHR recommendations and where certain recommendations remain outstanding. “In the case of Poland, without going into the substance very deeply, I would say, as it’s quite common, some recommendations have been addressed, and others have not,” he added.

The LEOM consists of 11 international experts based in Warsaw, who will be joined by 20 additional long-term observers deployed throughout the country from 9 September. They will assess the elections for compliance with OSCE commitments, other international obligations and standards, and national legislation.

As part of the mission, observers will follow voter registration, candidate registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant state bodies, implementation of the legislative framework, political and campaign finance and the resolution of election-related disputes. They will also conduct a comprehensive monitoring of the media.

In line with the ODIHR methodology, the ODIHR LEOM will not systematically or comprehensively observe the voting, counting and tabulation on election day. Mission members will, however, visit a small number of polling stations on election day, according to the OSCE’s press release.

In accordance with the government’s invitation, ODIHR will only monitor the parliamentary election and not the national referendum, which is to take place the same day, EURACTIV.pl reported.

So far, ODIHR has monitored the elections in Poland six times, the last time during the presidential elections in 2020.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | EURACTIV.pl)