US midterm elections in November: No observation desired

afp/dpa | For the first time since it began observing elections in the USA, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was not invited to a US federal election. The midterm congressional elections will take place on November 3rd, halfway through US President Donald Trump's term in office. Washington's decision is a "significant departure from established democratic practice" and is "not consistent with the commitments" of OSCE participating states, the organization said on Wednesday.

Since 2002, the OSCE has observed twelve federal elections in the USA, including six midterm elections, it said. The first US federal elections since the OSCE began observing the country will take place on November 3rd, for which the organization did not receive an invitation. The observation would have provided a valuable independent analysis of developments in the legal and regulatory framework since the last federal elections, the press release said.

“I deeply regret the decision of the United States,” said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons. The Federal Government's Transatlantic Coordinator, Metin Hakverdi (SPD), also criticized the non-invitation.

As an OSCE participating state, the USA has made a political commitment to enable international election observation, said transatlantic coordinator Hakverdi to the Tagesspiegel. The non-invitation is an “expression of the US government’s skepticism” towards international organizations. “The integrity of elections is currently often the subject of political debate in the USA,” said Hakverdi. “If you want election integrity, you don’t leave election observers out.”

Trump's Republicans are threatened with defeat in the midterm elections. For months, the Trump administration has been trying to influence the midterm elections using various means. Democrats, civil society and the courts are against it.

As the Tagesspiegel further reported, citing an OSCE letter in its possession, the organization was not invited to the elections despite ongoing diplomatic efforts. The USA asked the OSCE in December to cut its annual budget by at least 15 million euros by the end of 2026. Washington also urged the organization to focus on “missions supporting stability and peace” rather than “transforming the domestic political life” of its participating states.

The election observation is organized jointly by the ODIHR, based in Warsaw, and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, based in Copenhagen. Founded in 1975 and based in Vienna, the OSCE has 57 participating states from Europe, Central Asia and North America.