Estonian MP Sven Sester observing midterm elections in US

TALLINN – Chairman of the Estonian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) and Isamaa MP Sven Sester will travel to Washington, D.C. to observe the midterm elections of the United States Congress that will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

"The aim of the international observers is to contribute to helping to increase transparency of the elections and building trust in the US electoral system," Sester said.

"It is the wish of the observers, who represent the national parliaments, to see that the elections are conducted fairly and all candidates are treated equally. We observe that the elections comply with the democratic standards the United States and OSCE countries have agreed to. We will be paying particular attention to the campaign environment, election administration, new voting technologies, election day procedures, and media coverage," he added.

More than a hundred members of national parliaments from more than 30 countries will participate in the election observation mission organized by the OSCE PA to observe the midterm elections held in the United States. The purpose of the mission is to make sure that the elections conform to the democratic principles set out in the OSCE Copenhagen Document from 1990.

Election observation missions have been an important part of OSCE’s activities since 1993. The missions monitor whether the elections are conducted legitimately and respect the democratic standards.