The lack of assurance by the authorities of Tajikistan that international observers will be accredited has regrettably made it necessary to cancel the observation of the country's forthcoming parliamentary elections, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today.
"We deeply regret that our observation of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Tajikistan will no longer be possible," said ODIHR Director Maria Telalian. "But the absence of formal guarantees that our observers will be able to carry out their work less than a month before election day made our withdrawal from the observation unavoidable."
Although the observation mission opened on 22 January, the team of election experts based in Dushanbe have been unable to begin their work. The continuing lack of assurances that ODIHR experts and international observers would receive the accreditation needed to observe the election followed numerous attempts to obtain clarity on the issue and an extension of the deadline for a formal response from the authorities. ODIHR deploys election observation missions at the invitation of states, and host governments need to provide the necessary conditions for their effective and unrestricted operation. Prolonged uncertainty surrounding accreditation undermines the integrity of this process.
Based on the findings of a pre-election needs assessment carried out some months before an election takes place, ODIHR determines the size and format of observation necessary to provide an independent, credible assessment. For the parliamentary elections in Tajikistan, the needs assessment noted concerns over the independence and impartiality of the election administration, the conduct and integrity of the election-day process, an ongoing lack of independence of the judiciary, election administration and law enforcement bodies, and a clear deterioration in respect for the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. In its needs assessment report, ODIHR found that an observation with 20 long-term observers and 150 short-term observers was needed.
All OSCE states have repeatedly recognized the value of ODIHR's observation and the effectiveness of its comprehensive and objective methodology, which is applied in the same way in every country. They have committed to inviting observers from all other OSCE participating States to their elections, as well as to following up swiftly on ODIHR's election assessment and recommendations.
ODIHR will continue to support Tajikistan in implementing the commitments it has made to strengthen democracy and human rights in the country, and remains committed to observing future elections when conditions allow the Office to conduct a systematic, accurate and credible observation in line with its mandate and established methodology.
