Election officials of ACEEEO have participated as observers in the elections of Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova, Hungary, Russia and Romania.

There are several types of election observation. The most arduous type is carried out by the UN and other international organisations (OSCE). This type of activity considerably goes beyond what we may term typical election observation activity, because it is carried out in a given country on the basis of an international resolution, with the aid of adequate military and administrative support and in the interest of democratic elections. The elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina may be considered as an example, which were held on the basis of the Dayton Accord in September, 1996, but there have been some other recent examples in African countries as well.

Election observation in the traditional sense is organised by the OSCE-ODIHR and ACEEEO carries out activities also in this manner.

The election observer status has its legal foundations:

  • ACEEEO members - as non-governmental organisations - have included the right to take part in each other's elections as observers in their Founding Document.
  • The election observer arrives at the elections to be taken part in at the invitation of the given country. [It is by no means compulsory to accept the invitation, what is more it may (in the instance, for example, of an armed conflict in the given country) be declined].
  • Election observers accepting the invitation are obliged to become acquainted with the election system of the given country, as well as the legal regulations pertaining to the observation of elections in that country.
  • The election observer has the right to find the official election organs of the host country as well as the non-governmental and civil organisations that monitor the fairness of the elections.
  • More than one phases of election observation may be accomplished:
    1. From the posting of the elections to the beginning of the campaign,
    2. during the campaign, and
    3. on the day of the elections.
  • A number of things may be observed at an election:
    a.
    the legality and accuracy of the register
    b.
    the method of drawing up constituencies and polling stations,
    c.
    voter information and education,
    d.
    the fairness of the election campaign,
    e.
    the use of media,
    f.
    the legality of the operation of committees in polling stations,
    g.
    the guarantees of the production and shipment of ballot papers,
    h.
    the level of training of electoral committees,
    i.
    ensuring the confidentiality of voting,
    j.
    the accurateness of vote counting,
    k.
    the mechanism of adding up the votes,
    l.
    the evaluation of legal redress pertinent to election fraud,
    m.
    the guarantees of the independence of electoral committees.

The election observer logs his/her observations in writing and has the right to hand them over to the election organs of the given country, as well as the press, and other international observers.

The election observer does not have the right to interfere with the electoral process, make decisions or to give orders.

The primary task of the election observer is to inform the representatives of other countries and the press about whether the elections in the given country are free, democratic and fair.

ACEEEO has approved the proposal pertaining to the international observation of elections, attached as an Appendix.