Advocacy

Democratic institutions and processes are under threat like never before. US think tank Freedom House’s 2021 annual report marked the 15th consecutive year of decline in global freedom and warned democracy around the world is under siege. Nowhere is this threat more real or immediate than in Europe, where a decade of democratic rollback has created a political and security crisis. Trust in democratic institutions is at a record low and the focal point for disillusionment has been the ballot box. Yet threats to elections and electoral integrity, especially within the European Union, remain under-reported and under-appreciated.

Unhack Democracy is coordinating with other pro-democracy groups to advocate for a full ODIHR Election Observation Mission ahead of the Hungarian parliamentary elections in spring 2022.

READ our briefing document with our key findings and arguments for a full mission.

Unhack Democracy, along with The German Marshall Fund of the United States, has put forward 5 key policy recommendations and is working with the international community to put greater emphasis on election observation. The 5 key policy recommendations which form the basis of our lobbying effort are:

• The European Commission should extend the scope of the European Democracy Action Plan.

• The European Commission should closely coordinate EU and OSCE observation missions.

• Allow civic election observation in all EU Member States.

• Full OSCE/ODIHR observation mission in EU Member States that are subjected to the Article 7 procedure.

• Greater attention for electoral watchdog & citizen engagement NGOs (Citizens for Europe Programme)