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Special voting arrangements (SVAs) are designed to expand voting opportunities to individuals who are otherwise not able to vote. Safeguards that protect the equality, secrecy and transparency of the vote are vital for successful implementation of SVAs. Over the past few decades, countries across Europe have been increasingly adopting SVAs—particularly postal, early and mobile forms of voting. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated their use throughout the year 2020.

This GSoD In Focus aims at providing a brief overview of the state of democracy in Europe at the end of 2019, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, and then assesses some of the preliminary impacts that the pandemic has had on democracy in the region in the last 10 months.

Key facts and findings include:

INTER PARES | Parliaments in Partnership – EU Global Project to Strengthen the

GUEST PODCAST: The Votes and Ballots podcast interviewed Erik Asplund, International IDEA's  Electoral Processes programmer officer about Elections and COVID-19. This external podcast is only available on the Votes and Ballots Soundcloud platform.

Electoral campaigns are central to influencing how people vote and can also affect people’s perception of the legitimacy of a country’s elections and democracy in general.

Today, political parties and other stakeholders are increasingly using new online techniques in electoral campaigns. Many countries struggle with applying regulatory frameworks on elections to the online sphere, especially as regards online political advertising and microtargeting.

When constitutions are written in response to violent conflict or as part of a peace process, a key aim of constitution-building is to end the fighting and channel disputes through political institutions. Because of this, people at the negotiating table tend to be parties to the conflict, who are predominately men. When constitution-building responds to broad social unrest, in comparison, a key aim is to create a new social and political order.

The EU's European Democracy Action Plan and its upcoming Digital Services Act aim to regulate online political advertisements.

International IDEA celebrated its 25th Anniversary on the 19-20 of November through a 25-hour conference, "Democracy Now and Next." During the meeting, the Institute showcased its thematic expertise through 12 sessions and 63 speakers organized by our regional and country offices. The conference generated a global conversation about the future of democracy and the role of International IDEA.

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the world in all respects, including democracy and fundamental freedoms such as the freedoms of expression and movement, and the right to health. This presents a central challenge for democracies: how to balance mitigating the outbreak and at the same time respecting democratic principles such as accountability, transparency and respect for civil and political rights.

In celebration of the International Day of Democracy, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the European Partnership for Democracy, the European Endowment for Democracy, the European Network of Political Foundations and Carnegie Europe co-hosted together with the European Parliament a four-day conference that consisted of a series of online events marked as "International Democracy Week – Overcoming Adversity, Innovating Democracy".

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this commentary are those of the author. This commentary is independent of specific national or political interests.

North Macedonia was among the first countries to postpone and then hold elections in Europe since the pandemic started. Organizing elections amid a COVID-19 pandemic posed several challenges for the State Election Commission (SEC) in Macedonia, the Government and the various political parties competing.

The European Union is currently preparing a European Democracy Action Plan, to be released by the end of 2020. The plan’s purpose is to ensure that European citizens are able to participate in the democratic system through informed decision-making free from unlawful interference and manipulation. The action plan will also build on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 crisis and include measures on electoral integrity, media freedom and pluralism, and disinformation.

The second round of voting in Poland’s presidential election on 12 July will bring to a conclusion a remarkable electoral process, which saw a nearly all-time high turnout of voters during the first round on 28 June, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new online platform, developed by International IDEA and supported by the EU, will track the impact of the pandemic on democracy and human rights around the world.

View this press release in Spanish - Está disponible en español. 

International IDEA organized a series of roundtables, between 15 and 24 June 2020, on online political advertising and microtargeting, together with the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and the European Commission. Online political advertising and microtargeting is attracting increasing attention from governments and citizens alike, with many examining whether more regulation and oversight is needed, and what form it can take.

On the 22 May, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that the final round of municipal elections will take place on 28 June 2020, provided that the election is not deemed a health risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic.