International Election Observation Course Proposed for Master’s Degree Programmes

Second CIS International Legal Forum “International Legal Dialogue in CIS: Traditions of Cooperation and Response to Challenges of Time” opened in Minsk.

Deputy Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat – Director of the International Institute for Monitoring the Democracy Development, Parliamentarianism and Suffrage Protection of Citizens of IPA CIS Member Nations (IPA CIS IIMDD), Doctor of Law, Professor Ivan Mushket addressed participants via videoconference. He took part in section devoted to new branches and areas of development of international law and teaching of international law within legal education system.

According to Ivan Mushket, compulsory master’s degree programmes in “Public International Law” should include course “International Monitoring of Elections and Referenda”.

The speaker stressed that modern framework of international obligations and codified “soft law” standards has transformed international observation into an independent institution.

“Observation has ceased to be ‘art of looking from outside’ and has taken its place at intersection of comparative constitutional law, international humanitarian law, comparative political science, political geography, international relations and diplomatic protocol,” noted Ivan Mushket.

He also underlined growing need for specialists capable of working at intersection of law, political science and international diplomacy and providing balanced assessments of current electoral processes at global and regional levels.

Participants presented initiative to create specialized textbook combining theoretical foundations of international electoral law with extensive practical experience of observation missions conducted under auspices of CIS, CSTO and SCO.

Course “International Monitoring of Elections and Referenda” has already been developed by the IPA CIS IIMDD jointly with faculty of International Relations of Saint Petersburg State University within framework of Plan of Priority Activities in Humanitarian Cooperation of CIS Member Nations for 2021–2022 approved by the Council of CIS Heads of Government.

Proposal to include course in compulsory master’s degree programmes is aimed at harmonizing educational standards across Commonwealth and strengthening professional capacity of international observation missions.