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Ahead of the presidential 'election' in Russia scheduled for 15-17 March 2024, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) wishes to underscore the importance of upholding the defining principles of independent international election observation. These include, among others, unimpeded access to key phases of the electoral cycle and to electoral personnel, freedom of movement across the country, and freedom to issue statements and reports.
For the forthcoming 'election' on 15-17 March, the Russian authorities plan to open polling places in some regions of Ukraine, currently occupied and annexed by Russia.
As has been underscored by the United Nations, the European Union and democratic nations across the globe, Russia’s actions gravely violate international law, the UN Charter and laws of Ukraine. Russia is once again assaulting Ukraine's sovereignty and the integrity of its democratic institutions.
To hold onto power and enforce total, fearful submission by its citizens, Belarus’ authoritarian regime has transformed itself into a totalitarian system. The human rights situation continues to deteriorate as the number of political prisoners grows and any dissenting voice is met with violence from the country’s security forces. Since the last presidential elections in August 2020, the regime has deepened and broadened its repression against independent media and journalists.
The European Union’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) covers six countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The Covid-19 pandemic put a strain on fledgling democracies in the EaP region, aggravating pre-existing concerns, such as the weak rule of law, insufficient accountability of executive branches vis-à-vis legislatures and fragile media freedoms (see International IDEA 2022).
International IDEA and the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD) organized a conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2005 on constitutional and political reform in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. It was dedicated to the exchange of information about the reform process in the three South Caucasus countries and the prospects for their European integration.