Democratic elections are the cornerstone of a representative government and the best way to ensure the peaceful alternation of power. In order to be democratic, elections must be recurring, transparent, open and competitive. In this panel we are going to discuss how international electoral observation missions can strengthen not only transitioning democracies but also consolidated democracies like the EU member states or the US. Regarding this, we are going to discuss different approaches to international observation missions taking particularly emphasis in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) aim to conduct pre-election assessment missions, monitor elections and publish reports on election outcomes. Furthermore, we will pay particular attention to the learnings from the OSCE report about the US Presidential Elections 2016 offering to the audience the opportunity to gain a holistic perspective of the entire electoral process.
