European Platform for Democratic Elections

European Platform for Democratic Elections (NGO)
Formation	December 2012
Headquarters	Berlin, Germany
Leader	Stefanie Schiffer
Interests	election, election observation
Member of	Russia/Undesirable organization
Sponsored by	European Commission, Future of Russia Foundation, German Federal Foreign Office, German Marshall Fund, Norway/Ministry of Foreign Affairs
NGO doing election observations. Its judgement on what is deemed a "fair" election or not, might possibly be influenced by who finances it, which includes several NATO governments and deep state foundations. Also makes an "enemies list"

The European Platform for Democratic Elections is an NGO doing election observations. Its judgement on what is deemed a "fair" election or not, might possibly be influenced by who finances it, which includes several NATO governments and deep state foundations. Its network includes 13 European "citizen election observation organizations".

Own words

The aim of EPDE is to support citizen election observation and to contribute to democratic election processes throughout Europe. EPDE improves the professional quality of its member organizations through peer-learning, tailored training and expert missions, and informs internationally about the findings of its member organizations.

Enemies list

The organization maintains a "Database of Politically Biased Election Observers", which it labels "fake observers". Stefanie Schiffer, leader of EPDE, wrote: "Politically motivated election observation distorts the public perception of the quality of election processes and thereby undermines the work of professional and independent election observation missions such as those of the OSCE/ODIHR or the members of the EPDE.

The list, gathered from all over the world, mostly includes people who don't agree with the geopolitical outlook of EPDE's sponsors (who "legitimise electoral processes considered illegitimate by the international community"). Names on the list include (selection) Patrik Baab, Sergey Filbert, Gunnar Linnemann, Alina Lipp, Andreas Maurer, Thomas Röper, Alexander von Bismarck, Bjørn Ditlef Nistad, Mette Rosenlund, Hendrik Weber,Mohamed Al-Hamali, Janice Atkinson, Nabil Ayad, Vanessa Beeley, Robert John Blackman,David Evans, Jonathan Fryer, Shahid Qureshi, Barry Anthony Tomalin, Richard Wood,Vincent Buys, Gilbert Doctorow, George Eliason, Douglas Ericksen, George Kline Preston IV, Wyatt Reed, Eli Rubinstein, Hervé Juvin,Erik Almqvist, and Giulietto Chiesa.

It is not clear to what extent being put on the list will filter back to EPDE's sponsors for judicial or administrative ramifications, or to what degree it is intended to cause cancelling.

Russia

In 2018 The EPDE was banned in Russia as an "undesirable organization". Employees of listed international organizations and their partners in the Russian Federation face up to six years in prison or a ban on entering Russia for any form of cooperation, as well as numerous other punitive measures.

Sponsors

German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen),The Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation,Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,European Commission,The Greens/EFA, European Parliament,Transparency International Armenia,EU-Russia Civil Society Forum,German Marshall Fund of the United States,Marion Donhoff Foundation,Open Russia Foundation,Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation.

 

Sponsors

Event	Description
European Commission	The executive body of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing day-to-day business.
Future of Russia Foundation	Largely UK company with a remarkable assortment of directors
German Federal Foreign Office	The German Foreign Ministry
German Marshall Fund	According to whistleblower Udo Ulfkotte, a CIA front group. Despite the 'German' in its name, it is a fully US/CIA-controlled operation, mainly to maintain a network of transatlantic European politicians and journalists. Hugely influential behind the scenes.
Norway/Ministry of Foreign Affairs	A significant donor to NGOs and planning organizations. Many of the recipients dovetail with NATO objectives like regime changes and controlling the narrative.

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