covered in the law, the actual impact of the law may not be so efficient. This is one of the weaknesses of relying on de jure data, and de facto data would be needed to complement de jure data in order to obtain a proper examination of EDR systems. However, comparative de facto data on the functioning of EDR systems are not available. The election observation mission (EOM) reports produced by various organizations provide assessments of EDR procedures relevant to observed elections, but these analyses are not conducted in a consistent way using a standard methodology. The information in EOM reports must be coded using a rigorous methodology in order to compile comparative data on the application of EDR rules. In many countries the legal provisions on EDR mechanisms are rather complex. This poses a great challenge when classifying the data in the EJD. Nevertheless, the researchers engaged in the study tried as far as possible to be consistent in the interpretation of the law. Where certain provisions were unclear, the data was coded as ‘not specified’ and relevant explanations provided. The EJD contains only cross-sectional data based on the most recent legislation. The research was conducted in 2013–14. However, the database is regularly updated following legal reforms, which means that data for some countries changes over time. When the database is updated following a legal reform in a specific country, the out-of-date data is preserved and can be made available on request. What types of data are covered in this report? As noted in the introduction, this report presents the findings on only some of the key questions from each part of the EJD and provides a brief discussion of those findings. For instance, chapters 3 and 4 of the report present findings that target mainly the EDR procedures related to first-instance bodies, and a few general questions. Chapter 5 also covers only the key questions from Part 3 of the database. Chapter 6 covers all the questions from the Part 4 of the database, as this part of the database is quite short. Those who are interested in the questions not covered in this report can explore the online database, where relevant data and maps can be generated. Finally, this report presents data only for legislative elections. Findings on presidential elections can be generated using the online database. Updates to the database Since the EJD is updated and developed on a regular basis, users are encouraged to provide feedback and suggestions to further develop the content of the database. Moreover, if users discover any mistakes or omissions in the database, or realize that the law has been misinterpreted, the submission of corrections to the data is encouraged. Since the legislation providing for elections is rather complex in many countries, we are far from claiming that the EJD contains flawless interpretations of legal documents. 15