Kari Henriksen and Jette Christensen. Photo: Peter Mydske/Storting (Henriksen) and Bernt Sønvisen (Christensen).
MPs to monitor elections in the USA and Georgia
Kari Henriksen (Labour) will lead a team of election observers in the USA, while Jette Christensen (Labour) will be monitoring the parliamentary elections in Georgia on 31st October.
As election observers, the role of Henriksen and Christensen will be to monitor whether the elections conform to international standards and underlying democratic principles.
Kari Henriksen is one of the Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (the OSCE PA).
“Our job is to record our observations in a final report on the election,” says Henriksen, who will be heading a sixty-strong observation team in the USA.
“The report collects our observations, and analyses such aspects as the election campaign, legal questions, election administration, new election technology, postal voting, procedures on Election Day, and media coverage,” she adds.
Georgia
Jette Christensen (Labour) is taking part as an election observer in Georgia as a member of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE).
The role of election observer is one of the core activities of both the OSCE PA and PACE, and contributes to the protection of basic civil and political rights.
The standards and methods for election observation are identical for all assignments, and have been formulated by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The ODIHR is sending its own observers to the USA and Georgia.
The OSCE PA has been monitoring elections in the USA since 2004. Prior to that point, the organization only sent election observers to new democracies, but since 2004 it has emphasized that all member states can benefit from being monitored. For example, the OSCE monitored the Norwegian parliamentary election in 2009.
At the invitation of the host countries’ authorities
The election observers are invited by the host countries’ authorities. Infection control is an extremely important consideration during the conduct of assignments. This means that all observers are required to test negative for COVID-19 both before travelling into a country and on arrival. Election monitors are required to observe physical distancing rules, while the use of facemasks has become widespread.
The Storting’s Presidium has given dispensation for such assignments on the basis that election observation is a core activity within interparliamentary cooperation. On their return to Norway, all MPs taking part will go into quarantine for ten days in line with national infection control rules.