OSCE deploys election observers in Switzerland

The three OSCE observers will focus on regulations governing the financing of the election campaign and trials of electronic voting, among other things. © Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have been in Switzerland since October 9. They will be monitoring the federal elections this Sunday.

The OSCE experts are assessing the electoral process and its compliance with the commitments made by the organisation’s member states, as well as with international obligations and standards and national legislation.

The OSCE made the announcement on its website. The three observers will focus on the regulations governing the financing of the election campaign, the trials with electronic voting taking place in three cantons (Basel-City, Thurgau and St Gallen) and the participation in voting by people with disabilities.

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The team includes a Greek, a Belarussian and a Spaniard. According to the OSCE website, the team will visit a small number of polling stations. It will not carry out any systematic observation of voting or counting operations. A final report will be published approximately two months after the elections.

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