Agora Election Observation is pleased to welcome back the two experienced Focal Points against Sexual Harassment and Mobbing for the Election Observation Mission for the Albanian Parliamentary Election in 2025.
Maria Laila Bayer is excited to serve as a Focal Point against Sexual Harassment and Mobbing on her fifth mission for Agora Election Observation. She is a researcher and trainer with over five years of experience in the fields of human rights and peacebuilding and she holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Uppsala University. She’s passionate about advancing gender equality, youth empowerment, and combating sexual and gender-based violence. To this end, Maria has delivered numerous trainings and projects with NGOs and civil society actors in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. She is also an active member of Youth Peace Ambassadors Network, where she’s led on initiatives to prevent sexual harassment and foster safe, empowering channels for young people to engage in changemaking.
Obed Mugisha served as a Focal Point during the Election Observation Mission to the Romanian Parliamentary Elections in 2024. He is a dedicated youth peace and security practitioner with a decade of experience in the social development sector. He specializes in designing and implementing initiatives that enhance the meaningful participation of youth in peacebuilding processes. Notably, Obed led a youth election observation mission during Uganda’s 2021 general elections, establishing Africa’s first-ever youth elections observatory center. This innovative center served as an early warning and response mechanism for election-related violence, featuring a toll-free hotline and collaboration with representatives from the electoral commission, security agencies, and conflict analysts.
Under his leadership, accredited and trained youth observers were deployed in high-risk districts to detect early warning signs of potential violence and report them to the observatory for a coordinated response. This initiative played a crucial role in ensuring peaceful elections in the historically volatile districts of Kasese and Ntungamo in Western Uganda. Additionally, the toll-free line gained nationwide recognition, allowing for timely reporting and resolution of incidents across the country.