16 January 2023

Parliamentary Conference

Elections in times of crisis:

challenges and opportunities

organised by the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

in co-operation with the

Swiss Parliament

in the framework of the 60th anniversary of the accession of Switzerland

to the Council of Europe

Bern, 9 – 10 May 2023

INFORMATION NOTE

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1. BACKGROUND

In the last three years, the democracies of Europe have been hit by successive dramatic challenges to the
functioning of their democratic institutions. Just as the world was emerging from the unprecedented
global shocks of the Covid-19 outbreak, Europe’s peace and stability were undermined by the Russian war
of aggression in Ukraine and its far-reaching consequences.

Meanwhile high inflation, economic turbulence, energy supply distress, spiking prices, unresolved
inequalities, and increasingly frequent extreme climatic events are all affecting the daily lives of millions
of Europeans, in turn feeding xenophobic and populist sentiment. The result has been a dangerous mix of
democratic backsliding on the one hand, and low public trust in democratic institutions on the other,
which threatens to create a new kind of pandemic.

Emergency situations test the health and resilience of any democracy. The Covid-19 pandemic made new
and pressing demands on governments, as they struggled to hold elections and referendums in
unprecedented conditions, while upholding basic democratic norms. Elections at various levels were
postponed, while campaigning and voting under lockdown or in wartime conditions threw up unexpected
new challenges.

What principles should be applied when deciding whether to postpone elections during a public health or
other emergency? How should voting procedures be revised and updated and what role is there for e-
voting and other new technologies, with what additional safeguards? How can open and fair electoral
campaigns and meaningful public debate be maintained in crisis conditions? How to maintain electoral
participation in times of crisis and ensure inclusiveness and safety of vulnerable groups? How can
malicious foreign intervention in sovereign democratic elections – including cyber-attacks and the use of
new AI tools – be mitigated or pre-empted? How can effective election observation be maintained when
movement or access is restricted? And finally, what will the impact be of Russia’s war of aggression in
Ukraine on elections in Europe, and what steps can be taken to help Ukraine hold its first post-war
elections?

The key principles of universal, equal, free, secret and direct suffrage become even more crucial in
situations of crisis, whether they be related to pandemics, natural disasters, national security threats,
economic crisis or civil unrest. There are many lessons to be learned from recent years which can help us
prepare for the future.

2. OBJECTIVES

The aim of the conference is to:

1. Bring together the key national and international actors involved in organising recent elections
with a view to sharing lessons learned and good practice.
2. Provide policy recommendations, including to the Council of Europe 4th Summit of the Heads of
State and Government on 16-17 May 2023 in Reykjavik, for developing guidelines on strengthening
the resilience of democratic institutions to emergencies and their ability to deliver in uncertain
times.
3. Increase visibility of Council of Europe standards and activities on elections.
4. Strengthen parliamentary cooperation with internal and external partners.

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3. TIMING & VENUE

Dates: 9-10 May 2023

Venue: Swiss Parliament, Assembly Hall, Bern

The conference is expected to be held in person, with online transmission.

4. PARTICIPANTS

The parliamentary conference aims to bring together about 150 participants representing various
stakeholder groups in election administration and observation, including, among others:

• Members of the Parliamentary Assembly having chaired or participated in the Assembly’s

election observation missions 2020-2023 and other members of the Assembly engaged in related
fields
• Members of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe having
chaired Congress election observation delegations in different countries or participated in
election observation missions 2020-2023
• Representatives of the Swiss parliament
• Members and experts of the Venice Commission and other relevant Council of Europe bodies
• Representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and experts of the OSCE/ODIHR
• Representatives of the European Parliament
• Chairs of Central Electoral Committees and/or members of electoral management bodies of
Council of Europe member States
• Representatives of international election monitoring bodies (IDEA, IFES, ECES, …)
• Representatives of national NGOs involved in the observation of elections
• Media representatives covering elections
• Experts and/or researchers working in the field of elections.

5. WORKING LANGUAGES

English, French, German

6. PRELIMINARY PROPOSED PROGRAMME

Monday 8 May 2023

18:00 – 19:30 Cultural event for those already arrived (e.g., walking guided city tour) - optional

Tuesday 9 May 2023:

9:00 – 9:30 Registration of participants

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9:30 – 10:00 Welcoming address

o President of the Swiss National Council (tbc)

o PACE President (tbc)
o President of the Venice Commission (tbc)
o President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (tbc)

10:00 – 12:30 Session 1: Impact of and lessons learned from Covid-19

Focus on:

• The overall impact of the pandemic on electoral management policies and practice
• Legal challenges and preparedness for emergency situations – limits and
vulnerabilities
• National experiences in holding elections during the health pandemic – lessons
learnt and good practice
• Special voting arrangements as public safety guarantees; sustainability of newly
applied approaches
• International election observation during the pandemic

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch break

14:00 – 17:00 Session 2: Impact of armed conflicts on electoral processes

Focus on:

• Ensuring democratic processes under major security crises (states’ duty to protect,
the right to political participation, derogations and interferences, mitigating
measures, alternative voting methods)
• Minimum standards and requirements for holding elections and referenda in post-
war situations
• Inter-connectedness: impact of the war in Ukraine on elections outside the national
context
• Helping Ukraine to prepare its first post-war elections
• Interference of hybrid wars in alternative spaces (AI, cyber-attacks)

17:00 – 17:30 Wrap-up of the first day (by the General Rapporteur)

19:30 Reception

Wednesday, 10 May 2023:

9:00 – 12:15 Session 3: Other challenges and looking to the future

Focus on:

• Mitigating new emerging challenges – risks and opportunities for elections (Artificial
Intelligence, cyber-attacks, foreign interference, energy crisis, ecological
catastrophes)

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 • Re-evaluating long-established electoral procedures and practices: sustaining
advances and innovations in the next electoral cycles
• Strengthening public trust in the management of future electoral processes:
challenges and opportunities

12:30 – 13:00 Closing session

o Closing remarks by the General Rapporteur of the Conference

o Adoption of the conclusions
o Closing remarks by the Chair

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch (informal)

14:30 – 16:00 Social event: visit to the Museum of Communication (winner of the 2019 Council of
Europe Museum Prize) - optional