PACE Political Commission discusses pandemic elections

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Political Affairs and Democracy Commission discussed Friday the issue of holding elections in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

They discussed issues of new types and formats of interaction, especially remote and electronic voting, the possibility of observing missions in the new conditions, and also balancing the freedoms of citizens and forced restrictive measures to ensure their safety.

Following a discussion of the issue of democracies facing the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to prepare a resolution and appoint Ian Liddell-Granger, a member of the British delegation, as rapporteur.
The PACE Chairperson Hendrik Dams, as well as invited experts from leading European universities and representatives of the Venice Commission (European Commission for Democracy through Law) took part in the meeting of the commission, which was held via videoconference.