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| ASSOCIATION OF EUROPEAN ELECTION OFFICIALS |
 |
АССОЦИАЦИЯ ОРГАНИЗАТОРОВ ВЫБОРОВ СТРАН ЕВРОПЫ |
Newsletter of December, 2011
1. ACEEEO Events
BRIDGE Train the Facilitator Training, Budapest, Hungary
The regional Train the Facilitator training in Budapest, Hungary was the first training of BRIDGE facilitators in the Central and Eastern Europe and therefore, it is of utmost importance in terms of introducing BRIDGE as a capacity building tool in the region. Implemented by the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) it was the second milestone of the 10 months program supported by IFES and UNDP.
The TtF participants represented a diversity of countries and sub-regions of Europe and there was one participant from Afghanistan. All 21 participants completed the course successfully and were certified as semi-accredited BRIDGE facilitators.
The facilitators' team of the TtF included Ross Attrill (AEC), Arpine Galfayan (independent) and Anna Solyom (ACEEEO).
To access the whole report with training pictures please follow this link to the BRIDGE site.
2. ACEEEO in the region
Round table discussion in St. Petersburg on election observation prior to the DUMA elections of the Russian Federation
On 10 November 2011 the Parliamentary Assembly of CIS Member Nations organized a seminar for international observers and consultants on observing elections. The one day gathering offered the opportunity beside election professionals both for leaders of observation missions of CIS Parliamentary Assembly and for the representative of OSCE to share and approach the differentiating standards of election observations. On behalf of the Central Election Commission of Russian Federation Mr. V. E. Churov welcomed the participants, and Mr. Shapoval, president of the CEC of Ukraine and Mr. Ciocan, President of the CEC Moldova were also present on the meeting. In the frame of the collaboration agreement between IPA CIS and the ACEEEO, the Secretariat was represented by Ms. Anna Solyom.
Round table discussion in Tbilisi, Georgia
The OSCE-ODIHR and the Central Election Commission of Georgia in partnership with IFES and USAID organized a Roundtable on Increasing Accuracy of Voter Lists in Tbilisi, Georgia on 22 November 2011. The roundtable discussion, opened by Zurab Kharatishvili, president of the CEC of Georgia, consisted of four working sessions:
1. Developing accurate voter lists – international standards and best practices
2. Voter lists in Georgia, challenges of increasing its accuracy
3. Auditing voter lists – developing right methodologies
4. Further steps towards developing accurate lists
Representatives of the Georgian Parliament, Central Election Commission, political parties, and civil society, as well as international NGOS participated on the roundtable discussion. The ACEEEO Secretariat was represented by Mr. István Zsuffa whose presentation, based on the ACEEEO handbook entitled How to Develop Accurate Voter Lists, introduced the best practices of ACEEEO member countries.
Observation mission of the State Duma Elections of the Russian Federation 4th December 2011, Moscow, Russian Federation
Upon the invitation of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, Mr. Zsolt Szolnoki and Mr. Stepan Ahiy observed the E-day in Moscow on behalf of ACEEEO Secretariat. During their visit they participated on press-conferences of the CEC of the Russian Federation and visited polling stations in the center of Moscow city. The following ACEEEO member-countries representatives were present in the observation mission: Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine.
3. Upcoming Events
Save the dates: 21st annual conference of the ACEEEO
13 – 15 September 2012
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 21st annual conference of the Association of European Election Officials will be hosted by the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 13 till 15 September 2012. This will be the first time when Sarajevo will host the international gathering of professional election community.
On this cross-regional discussion that follows the 20th conference dedicated to the Independence of the Electoral Management Bodies, attendees will have the opportunity to absorb in the topic of
Participation of Vulnerable Groups in Election Processes:
Minorities and Persons with Disabilities
In keeping with our tradition, in the scope of our annual conference we are offering opportunities for regional and cross-regional consultations, networking as well as for learning on recent developments in election technology. We look forward to seeing you and to making the 2012 Conference a great success!
Celebrating Global Elections' Day – 2nd February 2012
The day of celebrating Global Elections' Day (GED) is approaching quickly. As since accepting the initiative in 2005, on the third meeting of Global Election Officials (GEO) and by the General Assembly of the ACEEEO, the Secretariat encourages all of its member states and partner organizations to join to celebrate GED together.
The Secretariat will gladly publish reports and photos of the events on the ACEEEO web.
Executive Board meeting of the ACEEEO
30 March 2012
Belgrade, Serbia
The upcoming meeting of the Executive Board of the Association will take place on the 30th March 2012, in Belgrade, Serbia.
4. NEWS
International workshop on Electoral Integrity
7 July 2012 in Madrid
IPSA-ECP (International Political Science Association- Elections, Citizens and Parties) is organizing a one-day workshop in Madrid on 7 July 2012, prior to the IPSA World Congress 8-12 July 2012. The Workshop is co-sponsored by the International IDEA and by the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems. The workshop will focus on issues of 'electoral integrity', understood as a complex and multidimensional concept which reflects internationally-agreed standards for the conduct of these contests. For more information please visit www.IPSA-ECP.com .or contact Ms Pippa Norris at IPSA.ECP@groups.facebook.com
Elections Calendar till May 2012
| Country | Type of election | Date |
| Croatia | Referendum | January 2012 |
| Russian | Federation Presidential | 4 March 2012 |
| Slovakia | Parliamentary | 10 March 2012 |
| Armenia | Parliamentary | 6 May 2012 |
| Serbia | Parliamentary | May 2012 |
5. Secretariat NEWS
Elections in Europe VII: call for articles
The 7th issue of ACEEEO's yearly professional publication, the Elections in Europe will be published in 2012. The Secretariat calls election professionals and PhD researchers to send relevant articles in the topic of
"Vulnerable groups in election processes"
This issue – in harmony with the main topic of our annual conference of 2012 - aims to address the challenges of and solutions for participation of disabled persons and minorities in the electoral processes. Relevant articles shall describe the general overall situation or a special case within the frame of this topic.
The article shall not exceed the length of 5000 characters (1000 words). Articles shall be sent in English and/or in Russian to Mr. Stepan Ahiy, head of editorial office at stepan.ahiy@aceeeo.org. Due date of collecting articles is 1 March 2012.
Festive Season Secretariat Hours
The Secretariat will be closed between 19 December 2011 and 5 January 2012.
We wish you Merry Christmas and a Prosperous, Healthy New Year for 2012!
ACEEEO Secretariat
“We hear the beating of wings over Bethlehem and a light that is not of the sun or of the stars shines in the midnight sky. Let the beauty of the story take away all narrowness, all thought of formal creeds. Let it be remembered as a story that has happened again and again, to men of many different races, that has been expressed through many religions, that has been called by many different names. Time and space and language lay no limitations upon human brotherhood.”
(Maud van Buren)
© Simon András
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