18th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies

 

"Lessons learned from the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on electoral processes"

 

Online event, Friday, 29 October 2021

 

10.00-16.30 Strasbourg/Paris time (check your time zone here)

 

09.30 - 10.00 – Time allowed to access the KUDO platform

(The link to the meeting will be provided in due course)

 

10.00 - 10.20 – Opening session (Slide)

Challenges for conducting elections during a pandemic, Attila Nagy, President of the National Election Office of Hungary (speech)

Introductory remarks on the proper conduct of elections during emergency periods, Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (speech)

10.20-11.30 – First session: What regulatory and practical solutions have the electoral administrations found to ensure the security of electoral processes during an emergency period? (Slide)

Sub-questions:

▷ What regulatory framework did electoral administrations have in place to ensure the security of electoral processes?

▷ What practical framework do electoral administrations have in place to ensure the safety of voters and election staff?

Moderated by Gaël Martin-Micallef, Legal Officer, Elections and Political Parties Division of the Venice Commission

Main regulatory solutions for the elections during an emergency period, Oliver Kask, Judge, Chairperson of the National Election Committee of Estonia, Member of the Venice Commission and Chair of the Council for Democratic Elections (speech)

The influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Albanian General Assembly's electoral process, Ilirjan Celibashi, Commissioner, Central Election Commission of Albania (speech)

Practical measures for holding elections during epidemic times (the case of the COVID-19 pandemic), Tigran Mukuchyan, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Armenia (speech)

What Regulatory and practical solutions have the electoral administrations found to ensure the security of electoral processes during an emergency period, Giorgi Kalandarishvili, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Georgia (presentation)

Discussion

 

11.30-11.40 – Break

11.40-12.30 – Second session: What role did the electoral administrations play in ensuring a good voter turnout, especially of women and vulnerable groups? (Slide)

Sub-questions:

▷ What measures have electoral administrations put in place to maintain or increase voter turnout, especially for women and vulnerable groups?

▷ What is the feedback from electoral administrations that have organised polls with alternative voting modalities?

Moderated by Oliver Kask, Judge, Chairperson of the National Election Committee of Estonia, Member of the Venice Commission and Chair of the Council for Democratic Elections

Vulnerable voter groups and measures to ensure their participation in local elections during COVID-19, Külli Kapper, Deputy Head of State Electoral Office of Estonia (speech)

Inclusion and meaningful political participation during COVID-19, Virginia Atkinson, Senior Global Advisor, Inclusion at The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) (speech)

The impact of COVID-19 on elections: rethinking voter participation, Ingrid Bicu, Seconded National Expert (from the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania), International IDEA (presentation) 

The conduct of electoral operations in Algeria in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and measures the taken in favour of women and vulnerable groups, Kamel Fenniche, President of the Constitutional Council of Algeria (speech)

Discussion

12.30 - 14.00 – Lunch

 

14.00-15.45 – Third session: What role did the electoral administrations play in ensuring the transparency of the electoral processes during emergency periods and based on the allocated resources? (Slide)

Sub-questions:

▷ What innovative solutions have electoral administrations and observer organisations found to ensure the continuity of the observation exercise during a health crisis, including the observation of different forms of remote voting?

▷ What solutions have electoral administrations found to ensure transparency and fairness in electoral campaigns, including in the media (advertising, debates), during emergency periods?

▷ Have the electoral administrations been adequately equipped to deal with the health crisis and conduct elections with all the required democratic guarantees?

Session moderated by Staffan Darnolf, Senior Global Electoral Operations & Administration Advisor at The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) (speech)

(A 15 minute break is foreseen to be taken at an opportune moment)

The Mexican experience to managing elections during COVID, Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, President of the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (presentation)

Election Observation and COVID, How Election Management Bodies and Observer Organizations Have Worked Together To Ensure the Continuation of Election Observation During the Pandemic, Meaghan Fitzgerald, Head of the Elections Department of the OSCE/ODIHR

Election observation during emergency situations: principles to be followed, Chemavon Chahbazian, Head of the Election Observation and Interparliamentary Co-operation Division, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (speech)

Electoral processes in times of pandemic, Nicolás Farfán Namén, Delegate Registrar in Electoral Matters of the National Civil Registry of Colombia (presentation, as given by Mr Angel Triana)

The activities of the election administration bodies of the IPA CIS Member States to create conditions aimed at preventing the incidence of Covid-19 during the election campaign, Ivan Mushket, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the IPA CIS Council – Director of the IIMDD (speech)

Discussion

 

15.45-16.00 – Break

16.00-16.30 – Closing session: Discussion on and adoption of the conclusions of the 18th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies (Slide)

Moderated by Pierre Garrone, Head of the Elections and Political Parties' Division of the Venice Commission

Draft conclusions of the Conference presented by Rasto Kuzel, General Rapporteur of the Conference, Executive Director at MEMO 98, Slovak Republic

Discussion and adoption