On 23 April 2021, a presentation and discussion of the concept * of an online training course for official election observers on the informational and awareness-raising platform “CEC: prosvita”** was held in online format. The members of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine (CEC), representatives of the CEC Secretariat, civil society organisations, political parties and Council of Europe experts took part in the event.

The training course is expected to contribute to the enhancement of basic and advanced knowledge and skills in electoral law and electoral process as regards election observation, including the following aspects: election campaigning, tabulation of voting results and establishment of election results, rights of election observers and limitations with respect to their powers, typical and non-typical violations of the electoral legislation, as well as methods and means for the protection of electoral rights.

The training course will be aimed at:

• civil society organisations (CSOs), whose statutory activities include election observation;
• political parties (in intraelections period – in order to raise electoral culture and to strengthen electoral education of political parties’ members; during the election process and in case of registration as subjects of the election process – in order to train and prepare their official observers);
• electoral candidates (during the election process in case of their registration as subjects of election process – in order to train and prepare their official observers);
• voters – in order to raise their awareness about the election process and procedures;
• official observers from foreign states or international organisations planning to observe the elections in Ukraine (in order to receive the necessary basic information about the election process and election procedures in Ukraine).

The training course will comprise three components: normative-theoretical, practical and evaluative. In the theoretical part, users will be acquainted with international standards, national election legislation and the acts of the Central Election Commission. The course modules will also include practical tasks and case studies. The final stage of the training will include testing, where successful completion of the course will be confirmed by a certificate.

A training course for observers on the informational and awareness-raising platform “CEC: prosvita” will be tailored to the needs of people with disabilities.

According to Central Election Commission member Andriy Hevko, an online training course for official observers at the informational and awareness-raising platform “CEC: prosvita” is planned to be launched this year.

*The concept was developed within the framework of the Council of Europe project "Supporting the transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral practice in Ukraine", implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2018-2022.

**On 21 September 2020, a joint educational project of the Central Election Commission and the Council of Europe - an interactive online training platform about elections “CEC: prosvita” (available at https://www.cvkpro.com) was launched. Two training courses “About elections in simple terms” and “About local elections for voters” are available on the platform, as well as the information and training materials for voters, election commissioners, candidates, parties and other participants in the election process.