Midterms 2026: the OSCE “regrets” that its observers will not be invited to elections in the United States for the first time

OSCE observers “regretted”, Wednesday September 23, not to be invited by the United States to the mid-term legislative elections in early November, a “first”which marks a “significant departure from a well-established democratic practice”.

“This decision is not in accordance with the commitments” of the United States as a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the organization’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement. “This will be the first US federal election since the start of OSCE observation in the country for which the OSCE has not received an invitation”specified the ODIHR.

Since 2002, the OSCE says it has observed a total of twelve federal elections in the United States, including six midterm elections. “I deeply regret the decision taken by the United States”said Pere Joan Pons, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. “This decision marks a significant departure from a well-established democratic practice”.

American request to reduce its budget

OSCE election observation missions rely on the ODIHR, a body based in Warsaw, and the Parliamentary Assembly, based in Copenhagen, which dispatches parliamentarians from member countries. Observers from these two organizations make up joint international missions which generally publish evaluation reports on the conduct of elections in OSCE member countries.

The organization’s headquarters is based in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1975 to ease tensions between East and West during the Cold War, the OSCE has members from Europe, Central Asia and North America.

In December, the United States demanded that it cut at least 15 million euros from its annual budget by the end of 2026. It also encouraged the OSCE to focus on “missions that support stability and peace”rather than on “the transformation of domestic political life” in member countries.