MEMO 98 at the 20th Anniversary of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation

Geneva, December 2025

MEMO 98 participated in the Twentieth Anniversary Implementation Meeting of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation (DoP), held in Geneva from 10–12 December 2025. The meeting marked twenty years since the Declaration was launched at the United Nations and brought together leading international and regional election observation organizations to reflect on two decades of practice - and on the growing challenges facing election integrity worldwide.

While MEMO 98 is not among the original signatories of the Declaration, we are proud to be part of the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE), which holds observer status within the DoP community. In addition, several members of the European Platform for Democracy (EPD) are among the official signatories of the Declaration, and MEMO 98 has recently joined the EPD, further reinforcing its commitment to defending credible, independent, and professional election observation at the European and global level. From this position, MEMO 98 fully supports the Declaration of Principles and its core values: independence, impartiality, professionalism, and methodological rigour. At a time of declining public trust in elections, credible election observation is more important than ever.

#MEMO 98 on the Panel: Election Integrity in the Digital Age

It was an honour for Rasto Kužel, Executive Director of MEMO 98, to participate as a speaker in the panel “Election Integrity in the Digital Age: Evolving Observer Methodologies to Address Disinformation, AI and the Role of Tech Platforms.” The panel brought together practitioners from international observation, regional networks, civil society, and the technology sector, including representatives of EODS, OSCE/ODIHR, ANFREL, Yiaga Africa, and Meta. MEMO 98’s participation was part of a broader expert discussion on how election observation must adapt to a rapidly changing digital environment.

Digital Elections, Analogue Tools

The core message from MEMO 98 was straightforward:

Digital threats to elections have evolved faster than election observation methodologies.

Disinformation, AI-generated content, coordinated online influence operations, and illicit digital campaign financing now shape electoral contests at a scale and speed that traditional observation tools were never designed to capture. As such, election observers are still assessing digital components of elections with analogue instruments.

This is not a critique of election observation as such, but a call to upgrade the observation methodology.

#Recognising the Limits of Election Observation

International election observation has clear and structural limits, and acknowledging them is essential for credibility:

missions are time-bound;
access to platform data is restricted or non-existent;
many relevant investigations require highly specialised expertise;
key state actors involved in countering hybrid threats operate in non-transparent environments.

Being honest about these constraints is not a weakness. On the contrary, it is essential for managing expectations - among governments, media, and the public - and for preserving trust in observers’ findings.

#Building Digital Capacity Without Losing Independence

At the same time, election observers cannot afford to remain digitally illiterate. Just as media monitoring once represented a major methodological innovation, the deployment of social media analysts - now standard in EU and other international missions since 2019 - reflects a necessary evolution.

However, observers cannot and should not attempt to replicate intelligence services or platform internal systems. The way forward lies in:

strengthening observers’ own understanding of online dynamics;
cooperating with credible external centres of expertise;
assessing institutional preparedness and responses, rather than attempting attribution of covert operations.

#Platforms as Election Stakeholders

A major concern raised during the panel was the shrinking transparency of online platforms.

The discontinuation of CrowdTangle, the limited analytical usability of the Meta Content Library, downsizing of platform integrity teams, and the end of political advertising in the EU collectively represent a step backwards. Without meaningful and timely access to data, independent verification becomes impossible - for observers, researchers, and civil society alike.

Election observers are not adversaries of platforms. But they cannot fulfil their mandate without cooperation. Platforms are now central stakeholders in electoral processes, whether they acknowledge this role or not.

#Why This Matters

Election observation exists for one reason: to support public confidence in democratic processes.

If observers fail to adapt to the digital transformation of elections, their relevance - and credibility - will erode. If platforms retreat from transparency at the very moment when scrutiny is most needed, trust will suffer even further.

As MEMO 98 emphasised in Geneva, history will judge the integrity of institutional choices made at this moment - by states, observers, and technology companies alike.

For MEMO 98, the commitment is clear: to continue contributing expertise, evidence, and critical reflection to strengthen election observation in the digital age, in full alignment with the spirit and principles of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.

#Further reference

The discussions in Geneva were anchored in the Joint Press Statement on the 20th Anniversary Implementation Meeting of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation (DoP), adopted on 12 December 2025 and reaffirming the DoP as the cornerstone of credible, impartial, independent and professional international election observation.

The statement underlines that election observation remains essential for protecting democratic legitimacy, promoting public confidence, and safeguarding fundamental rights - especially at a time when elections are increasingly shaped by disinformation, digital manipulation, political polarisation and declining public trust. It also reaffirms that international election observers are human rights defenders and that observation must remain process-oriented, transparent, and firmly grounded in respect for national sovereignty and citizens’ rights.

For MEMO 98, the discussions in Geneva reinforced a clear conclusion: defending elections today requires both unwavering commitment to the Declaration of Principles and the courage to adapt observation methodologies to a rapidly changing digital environment. The integrity of elections — and trust in democratic processes — depends on it.