“Frequent or late changes in electoral laws undermine citizens’ trust in electoral processes and can lead voters to believe that the game is “rigged”, which is detrimental to democracy at all levels of government”, stressed Stewart Dickson (United-Kingdom, ILDG), Congress Spokesperson on the Observation of Local and Regional Elections and President of the Council for Democratic Elections, opening the 20th Conference of Election Management Bodies (Vilnius, Lithuania, 14-15 April 2025).

The conference was co-organised by the Central Election Commission of Lithuania and the Council for Democratic Elections, a tripartite body of the Council of Europe constituted of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress. The aim was to take stock and discuss the application of the principle of stability of electoral law, one of the most important and most quoted principles of the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters, including in the recommendations of the Congress following election observation missions.

The Congress was also represented by Congress Vice-President Gunn Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP/CCE), who stressed the importance of voter education and capacity building of all electoral stakeholders, including political actors. She also noted that the allocation of additional responsibilities to election management bodies must be matched by allocation of resources.

Also speaking at this conference, Congress member Kristoffer Tamsons (Sweden, EPP/CCE) pointed out that last-minute changes, even if well-intentioned, can challenge electoral integrity, create confusion, and disenfranchise voters or candidates. Therefore, legal amendments related to electoral participation must follow an inclusive process of dialogue and give sufficient time for legal review and public education. The conclusions of the conference are available here.