“Democracy does not begin in institutions, it begins with confidence. Confidence that elections are fair, that the rules are respected and that the results truly reflect the will of people. Legal guarantees and safeguards for electoral integrity are closely tied to public trust,” underlined Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen at the opening of the joint debate on the status and rights of domestic and international election observers, in Paris on 28 April 2026.
“The Congress has played a leading role in observing local and regional elections across the member States of the Council of Europe. This work is deeply political: it is about safeguarding the voice of citizens expressed in towns, cities and regions – the very places where democracy is lived on a daily basis,” she continued, pointing to the current pressures facing democratic systems: shrinking civic space, increasing political polarisation, the spread of disinformation and attempts at foreign interference, and organisation of elections in conflict or post-conflict environments.
“In this context, election observation is not optional – it is a core democratic safeguard. Election observation is about confidence that every voice counts, that every process is fair, and that democratic institutions deserve the trust placed in them. This means that election observation must be allowed in all member States, that both international and domestic observation must become standard practice and that the recommendations resulting from observation missions are taken seriously and implemented,” concluded President Helgesen.
Organised by the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the joint debate is a contribution to the Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact for Europe.
Speech of the Congress President
News on the opening address by the PACE President
News on the opening address by the President of the Venice Commission
