Agora Election Observation invites young people (between 18 and 35 years old) from all over Europe to sign up as Observers for our upcoming Election Observation Mission to the Romanian Parliamentary Election on the 1st December 2024.
The mission runs from the 27th November to the 3rd December and will be deployed in Bucharest and some other locations around the country. Its purpose is to specifically assess the participation of youth in the electoral process.
As an independent Observer at the Agora Election Observation Mission to Romania, successful applicants will receive training, complete specific research assignments, and then follow the voting, counting and tabulation procedures in various locations throughout the country on the day of elections. They will further meet with local, national and international political stakeholders, civil society organisations, and youth representatives in Romania during the days prior to election day.
The observation of elections by independent Observers contributes to the transparency of the process and is a valuable instrument of democratic control. The findings of the mission will be compiled into a report to be published after deployment and distributed amongst relevant authorities.
MISSION PROGRAMME
Prior to arrival in Romania, Observers will be required to:
- Take an election observation training (online) on the principles and methods of international election observation;
- conduct background research on a specific topic related to the participation, involvement, and engagement of youth in the upcoming elections in Romania.
On 27th November, Observers will arrive in Bucharest.
In Bucharest, between the 28th and 29th November, Observers will:
- Take part in a briefing on the political situation of the country;
- attend various meetings with local officials, political stakeholders, experts, scholars, and civil society representatives as well as, in particular, with youth organisations and youth activists in the country.
On the 30th November, Observers will:
- Be deployed in different locations in Romania;
On the 1st December (election day), Observers will:
- Visit a number of polling stations to observe the opening, voting and closing processes throughout the day, as well as the counting and tabulation processes later that evening.
On 2nd December following election day, Observers will:
- Return to Bucharest to attend a debriefing, and
- discuss and summarise the findings of observations conducted with other Observers and the Coordinators.
On 3rd December, Observers will depart from Bucharest.
REQUIREMENTS
To become an international Observer for Agora Election Observation, an applicant must:
- be between 18 and 35 years old;
- have a solid command of English;
- hold no citizenship of Romania. Please note that Romanian nationals are not eligible to apply as international election Observers for this mission. However, they can apply to support the mission as Local Coordinators;
- legally reside in the EU and/or have the right to enter Romania. Please be advised that Agora Election Observation does not issue visa invitation letters;
- be available from the beginning of November on to participate in an online training on election observation and to conduct background research on the political situation of Romania as concerns youth;
- be fully available to travel to Romania (latest travel day to Bucharest is the 27th November and earliest travel day out of Sarajevo is on the 3rd December) and attend the entire deployment from 28th November to 2nd December 2024;
- be able to cover own costs for travel to and the duration of the mission*.
Experience from participating in election monitoring in the applicant’s home country, in a political party, or in non-governmental organisations is desirable, but not required. Other skills, education or experience related to Romania, democratic systems or election observation are considered an asset.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Please fill in this application form. The application deadline is 24th October at 23:59 CET.
In case of questions, please contact Mansiya Samambet (m.samambet@agoraelectionobservation.org) or Tom Breese (t.breese@agoraelectionobservation.org), Mission Managers at Agora Election Observation.
Agora Election Observation looks forward to your application.
* Our Missions are organised on a 100% voluntary basis and do not involve any remuneration or reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses. Participants are responsible themselves to have adequate health insurance coverage during the EOM. This applies to Coordinators as well as all members of the Agora Election Observation team.