On The Development Of The Osce Election Monitoring Functions

The role of Regional Security Organization in the contemporary interstates relationship has continued to assume a high degree of unprecedented significance with corresponding attention from both scholars and practitioners within and outside the field of international politics and international relations particularly, since after the end of the Cold War. The Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) within the short period of its establishment has not only continued to demonstrate the necessary qualities about how to effect the desired international security situation in the quest for building an acceptable democratic institutions, but has impacted tremendously on the act of observing and monitoring of election process of member states.Election observation/monitoring and the promotion of democratic governance in its member states became the major focus of OSCE after the disappearance of the former two Blocks. Its activities has graduated from just theory to practical approach in the management of its role as an election observer and monitoring body, as well as achieving an institutional status that could be called upon at anytime of needs. It has no doubt distinguished itself as an organization with valuable experience in the observation and monitoring of election.Therefore, this dissertation attempts to analyze the factors that contribute to make the main role of Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) as an observer in electioneering process is inevitable. The dissertation is comprises of five chapters. The first charter gave brief introduction of election observation/monitoring and OSCE as an organization. From the second chapter to chapter four analyzed the main factors promoting OSCE's function as an election observer's institution, including the chapter two dealing with European security structure, the third chapter deals with the setting up of OSCE's department and working mechanism, while chapter four deals with the achievements of OSCE as an election observer'body. Chapter five which is the last, discusses the challenges and the future of OSCE as election observer and monitoring institution.