US President Donald Trump has abandoned the long-standing practice of inviting international OSCE observers to monitor the midterm elections to Congress. The move has drawn criticism from politicians who see independent observation as an important condition for the transparency of the electoral process.
The United States has invited OSCE observers to presidential and midterm elections since 2002. Monitoring is carried out by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
The refusal to invite observers has raised concerns that the United States could end up on the same list as Russia and Belarus, which have also refused international election observation. Recent elections in those countries have been widely criticised for violating democratic standards.
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Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who is concluding her tenure as the leading minority representative on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the Trump administration’s decision incompatible with the principles of freedom, democracy and transparency.
She urged the White House to respect the role of independent observers and to adhere to the same standards the United States expects of other democratic states.
The OSCE also expressed outrage at the refusal. The President of the organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly, Pere Joan Pons, said that after more than two decades of inviting observers, the decision represents a significant departure from an established democratic tradition.
At the same time, the OSCE mission has no authority to determine the legitimacy of elections or to enforce compliance with its recommendations. Its task is to assess the conditions under which voting takes place and to propose changes to meet democratic standards.
The White House defended the administration’s decision. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis said that American elections would be organised, conducted and observed by US citizens themselves.
Some Democrats fear that rejecting international monitoring could be part of preparations to challenge the election results or attempts by the federal government to influence electoral processes in the states. Congressman Joe Morelle, in particular, said he is discussing possible legal action with election officials and lawyers in case there are attempts to restrict Americans’ voting rights.
- The US midterm elections to Congress will take place on 3 November.