Professional training of electoral stakeholders and in particular of the members of election commissions is a prerequisite for the good conduct of elections.
Professionalisation of national observation of elections by creating training tools and facilities as well as certification of observers became one of the challenges of the Council of Europe.
The Council of Europe has developed considerable experience in working with Central Election Commissions and civil society to support participation in elections and in the political life of citizens, with a special emphasis on women.
Election observation reports by international organisations as well as by domestic observers revealed that participation of young people in the elections in new democracies is not satisfactory.