Newsroom
Statement by the Spokesperson of the Secretary General on the political agreement in Georgia on a new electoral system
We welcome the political agreement reached yesterday, 8 March, by the majority and opposition in Georgia on the 2020 electoral system, which puts an end to uncertainty that lasted for several months and opens the way to depolarization of the political debate, in the run-up of this year’s...
Congress President Anders Knape on official visit to Georgia
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Anders Knape, will pay an official visit to Georgia from 22 to 25 February 2020, organised in the framework of the Georgian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Accompanied by Congress Secretary...
Committee of Ministers agrees checklist to stop “worrying trend” of election winners abusing power
The Committee of Ministers has today agreed a checklist aimed at ensuring that election winners uphold democratic practices. The checklist – compiled by the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s constitutional expert group – gives governments guidelines on how to maintain the checks and...
Russian local elections: all candidates need equal access to electoral rights
In its report on the Russian Federation adopted today, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe noted with satisfaction the developments that have taken place since 2010: the principle of local self-government is now recognised both in the Constitution and in...
Turkey: Congress adopts report on the observation of local elections and the Istanbul repeat mayoral election
Meeting in session on 30 October 2019, the members of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a report on the local elections in Turkey (31 March 2019) and the Istanbul repeat mayoral election (23 June 2019), following observation missions led by the...
Congress President calls on Russia to allow international observers to strengthen the integrity of municipal elections
Following Sunday's municipal elections in the Russian Federation, the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Anders Knape, underlined the importance of democratic framework conditions in order to ensure genuinely free and fair elections, in...
Statement by the President of the Congress on the recent suspension of mayors in Turkey
Anders KNAPE, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, made the following statement: "I express my grave concern about the decision of the Turkish authorities to suspend the elected mayors of three metropolitan cities in the south-east of the country,...
Moscow elections: Secretary General urges all sides to cooperate amid violence fears
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has held a phone conversation today with Ms Ella Pamfilova, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation. Secretary General Jagland had previously expressed his concern over the organisation of the elections to the...
Statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, on the pre-electoral situation in Moscow
“I have been following recent events in the run up to elections in Moscow with concern. Opposition candidates have reportedly been not able to stand for election. I intend to raise this with the Head of the Russian Central Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova. All legitimate candidates should be...
Tools for combatting malicious cyber interference with elections
The Cybercrime Convention Committee, representing the Parties to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, today adopted a Guidance Note to facilitate criminal justice action against election interference using computers. Interference with elections through malicious cyber activities against...
Local elections in Albania: Statement by the Spokesperson
We closely follow the situation ahead of the 30 June local elections in Albania, which should be conducted in line with all the relevant international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. In this context, we recall the Council of Europe’s...
Istanbul mayoral vote: well-organised and transparent under tense circumstances
A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, led by Andrew Dawson (United Kingdom, CRE), Rapporteur and Head of the delegation, observed the re-run of the mayoral election in Istanbul on 23 June 2019. At the invitation of the Turkish authorities, 14...
Re-run of mayoral election in Istanbul: Congress sends international observers
Following the decision taken on 6 May by the Turkish Supreme Election Council to cancel the 31 March election of the Mayor of Istanbul, a delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will observe the re-run of the mayoral election on 23 June 2019, at the...
Congress to observe Istanbul mayoral repeat election on 23 June
Following the decision taken on 6 May by the Turkish Supreme Election Council to cancel the 31 March election of the Mayor of Istanbul and at the invitation of the Turkish authorities, a delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will observe the...
Secretary General Jagland: statement on Turkish Supreme Election Council’s decision on re-run of local elections in Istanbul
“With regard to the Turkish Supreme Election Council’s decision on a re-run of the local elections in Istanbul, I refer to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the only international body who had been invited to observe the local elections on 31 March. We...
