babble home
rabble.ca - news for the rest of us
today's active topics


Post New Topic  Post A Reply
FAQ | Forum Home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» babble   » current events   » international news and politics   » International "independent" election observers

Email this thread to someone!    
Author Topic: International "independent" election observers
M. Spector
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8273

posted 07 November 2008 10:58 AM      Profile for M. Spector   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Next time OSCE sends observers to oversee an election, remember how wrong they were about the U.S. election, and ask yourself whether anything they say about elections in Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, or elsewhere can be relied upon as accurate.

The US electoral system, as we all know, is a sham. All US progressives say that major electoral reform is needed before any semblance of real democracy is possible in that country. OSCE, however, is positively rapturous in its assessment of the process and the role of the media:

quote:
Press Release

WASHINGTON, 5 November 2008 - Yesterday's elections in the United States demonstrated the essential principles of a pluralistic democracy characterized by transparency and the respect for fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, but efforts to enhance public confidence in the election process should continue, the observer mission deployed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a statement released today.

Voters were able to make informed choices in a competitive and vigorously fought election. Free and pluralistic media and extensive campaign activities provided voters with a wealth of information about the candidates, their platforms and the election process. These elections generally met OSCE commitments. But the observers also said that the concerns that arose during previous elections have not been fully addressed in some states.

"We have seen an election that displayed all the fundamentals of a genuinely democratic vote," said Ambassador Audrey Glover, the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission.

"At the same time, the controversies during the campaign over persisting allegations of election irregularities showed that electoral reform efforts must continue to address remaining shortcomings and allow voters to fully regain confidence in the election system."

Allegations relating to fraudulent voter registration, disenfranchisement of voters, and the malfunctioning of voting systems featured prominently in the public debate. They were widely covered and investigated by the media and legal action was taken in some states to address them.

The observers noted that the highly decentralized legal framework for the elections and widely varying state election laws have led to a lack of uniformity among states in the way the elections were organized. The interpretation and implementation of federal laws lacked consistency.

The observers also noted that overall the elections were professionally administered. Occasional long waiting lines and minor technical problems with voting machines had little impact on the efficiency of the process on election day. However, the secrecy of the vote was not sufficiently protected at some polling stations due to the way in which ballots were scanned, and some states do not guarantee the secrecy of early in-person and absentee by-mail voting.

The OSCE/ODIHR was invited by the US government to observe the 4 November elections. As a participating State of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the United States has committed itself to adhere to OSCE election standards and invite international observers.

The OSCE/ODIHR observer mission began work on 10 October and consists of 60 international experts and long-term observers from 20 OSCE participating States. In line with standard practice for limited election observation missions, election day procedures were not monitored in a systematic and comprehensive manner, but observers visited polling stations in a number of states.


Note no comment on the insane Electoral College system. No comment on the onerous requirements for third parties to even get listed on ballots. No mention of the requirement of spending a billion dollars to conduct the election. No mention of racism, sexism, attack advertising, blatant attempts to disenfranchise millions of voters, or the total media blackout of third parties. No mention of the opportunities for fraud in the use of voting machines, other than as “allegations” that OSCE itself never looked into.

OSCE's phrase "characterized by transparency" is not the first one that would come to the mind of most independent observers.

OSCE's report is nothing but a whitewash.


From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
RosaL
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 13921

posted 07 November 2008 11:03 AM      Profile for RosaL     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
"pluralistic". heh.
From: the underclass | Registered: Mar 2007  |  IP: Logged
M. Spector
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8273

posted 07 November 2008 11:05 AM      Profile for M. Spector   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
pluralistic = euphemism for "duopoly"
From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged

All times are Pacific Time  

Post New Topic  Post A Reply Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic next oldest topic   next newest topic
Hop To:

Contact Us | rabble.ca | Policy Statement

Copyright 2001-2008 rabble.ca