Another day of the “Open Elections” Program focused on international election observation, the practical work of experts at polling stations, and modern approaches to assessing electoral systems.
🌍 The central event of the day was a lecture by Sebastián López Calendino, Director of the Center for Electoral and Political-Institutional Studies at the Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences of the National University of La Plata in Argentina, entitled “Independent International Election Observation and Electoral Expertise in the Modern World.”
Calendino spoke about the role of independent expertise in contemporary electoral processes, the principles guiding international observers, and the importance of professional dialogue among specialists from different countries. For us, it is especially important to introduce young experts to different national and professional approaches to election observation and give them an opportunity to discuss these issues directly with experienced international practitioners.
“An international election observer does not steer any country’s ship. We do not choose its candidates, write its laws, or decide its future. Our task is to shine a light: to observe carefully, with method and honesty, and report what we actually saw.”
☑️ The practical part of the day focused on the working procedures of international observers and experts when visiting polling stations in Russia. Alexey Peskov, Executive Director of the Independent Public Monitoring Association, and Ilya Rudenko, Chair of the “For Clean Elections” Corps, guided participants through the monitoring checklist and the key aspects of an observer’s work directly at a polling station.
🎓 The Program concluded with a presentation of the Russian model of electoral rating by Vladimir Lukushin, Deputy Dean for Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Mass Communications of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
For us, it is important that every day of “Open Elections” gradually expands the participants’ professional toolkit — from understanding the principles of international observation to applying specific methods of analysis, monitoring, and professional assessment of electoral processes.