Election observers raise concerns about political donations and the secrecy of the ballot

Martin Shipton

Observers from the Council of Europe have praised the running of the Senedd election and others in England and Scotland – but have raised concerns about political donations and the secrecy of the ballot in some polling stations.

A 16-strong delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe visited Britain to observe the Welsh and Scottish parliament elections and local elections in England.

Jani Kokko, a Social Democratic politician from Finland who headed the delegation, said: “The seven Congress teams deployed in England, Scotland and Wales observed different yet well-organised procedures, handled by highly committed and well-trained polling station staff.

“Election day was overall calm and orderly. Visited polling stations opened and closed on time and our assessment of voting procedures was overall positive. Voters, candidates and electoral staff alike expressed a high level of trust in the electoral processes.

“With various electoral systems applied in the 140 polling stations we visited, we appreciated the devolved nature of these elections, while some aspects could be further coordinated. The efforts to provide comprehensive assistive devices and accessibility for voters with disabilities so that they could vote independently, were highly valued and all polling stations we visited were accessible and equipped. The inclusiveness of the elections was further promoted by the availability of instructions in multiple languages and by the courteous conduct of electoral staff when engaging with various voter groups. This constitutes good practice. Additionally, 16- and 17-year-olds were also allowed to vote in Wales and Scotland, and we would welcome a similar development in local elections in England.

“Despite this overall positive assessment, we noted that the layout of the polling booths could be improved to ensure the secrecy of the vote. The booths were positioned too close to one another and were too narrow, allowing votes to be visible to others. The requirement to use serial numbers on ballot papers, linked to a voter’s number, also raised some questions from our observers. Positively, very few cases of family voting were witnessed and these were quickly interrupted by presiding officers.

“The presence of party activists close to polling stations was highlighted as intrusive at times in England, occasionally leading to pressure or intimidation of voters. However, the majority of party supporters (tellers) maintained a respectful distance from polling stations and voters. Finally, most teams found the closing procedures to be rushed, complicated by a large number of documents required and implemented inconsistently from one council to another, suggesting that further efforts could be made to strengthen integrity safeguards at this stage.

“Turning to the pre-election period, we commended the overall fair, competitive and pluralistic nature of the campaign, but noted that it remained relatively low-key, marked by voter apathy, negative campaigning and overshadowed by busy global and central-level agendas. Some resentment over national policies negatively affected public debate while online abuse of candidates, predominantly women, further eroded the quality of local democracy. Positively, no systematic campaign of disinformation and/or foreign influence was flagged, and we appreciated the authorities’ preparedness in this regard. The Local Government Association should be involved in these efforts.

“At the same time, women remained largely underrepresented as candidates, with significant disparities between parties. Introducing incentives and notably a gender quota could further increase women representation in local and regional assemblies.

“While the delegation acknowledged that some safeguards already applied to political finance, such as spending caps and candidate reporting, consideration could be given to reinforcing provisions related to annual donation caps or interim campaign reports to enhance transparency. Allegations of past donations to politicians marred the final days of the campaign, showing the necessity for more timely investigations and dissuasive sanctions.”

Crypto billionaire

The controversy related to an undeclared donation of £5m given to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage by Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, alias Chakrit Sakunkrit for his personal security needs after a banana-flavoured milkshake was thrown at him as he was campaigning in Clacton for a seat in parliament.

Mr Kokko added: “As this was the first time that the Congress observed elections in the UK, we appreciated the willingness to engage and curiosity of most electoral staff but we also pointed out some minor misunderstandings in polling stations. Notably, some observers, notably in England, were not allowed to enter polling stations to observe the opening procedures. Staff sometimes appeared uncertain about observers’ rights to ask questions throughout the election day. Better information on the rights and the role of electoral observers could therefore be more widely disseminated across all polling stations.”

Prior to election day, the delegation held meetings on May 5 and May 6 with key stakeholders involved in the elections, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps, the media – including Nation.Cymru – and civil society. The delegation also held discussions with political parties and candidates running in the elections.

A draft recommendation arising out of the mission will be discussed at the Congress session in Strasbourg, France, in October 2026.