OSCE sends experts to monitor Iceland referendum

Experts from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, have arrived in Iceland to monitor the lead-up to and conduct of the referendum on 29 August, mbl.is reports.

The monitoring is being carried out by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR, which has sent a specialist team to Iceland. The team is examining the election campaign, its financing, the media environment and campaigning on social media.

Ástríður Jóhannesdóttir, director of Iceland’s National Electoral Commission, said this was the first time since 2017 that an OSCE team had monitored elections in Iceland. Observers visited the country for a preliminary assessment in July, after which the organisation decided to send representatives to monitor the referendum.

Trust in election administration

The experts’ arrival follows an ODIHR needs assessment report published in July. It said people interviewed by the organisation generally expressed strong confidence in the impartiality and professional ability of Icelandic election authorities.

However, ODIHR experts identified several issues for closer examination, including rules on campaign financing by groups other than political parties, the framework for media coverage and campaigning on social media.

The team will monitor the referendum’s lead-up and, after it is completed, issue an assessment and, where appropriate, recommendations for improvements to Iceland’s electoral system.