ZAGREB, Oct 19 (Hina) - The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has said it will field considerably fewer observers to monitor forthcoming parliamentary elections in Croatia than it has before, and this will be
the first time its monitors will not be posted at polling stations.
ZAGREB, Oct 19 (Hina) - The Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has said it will field considerably
fewer observers to monitor forthcoming parliamentary elections in
Croatia than it has before, and this will be the first time its
monitors will not be posted at polling stations. #L#
The decision reflects a certain faith in the voting process and
election monitoring by domestic organisations, primarily the GONG
(civil election-monitoring organisation), OSCE mission spokesman
Alessandro Fracassetti has told Hina.
The OSCE mission, however, will closely monitor the election
campaign from its offices in Zagreb and elsewhere in Croatia,
Fracassetti said.
He added that OSCE monitors would assess whether the elections were
prepared and conducted in accordance with the international
standards of democratic elections.
The election process will be monitored by the OSCE Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which will be
operating independently of the OSCE mission to Croatia. It will be
made up of six permanent members and 14 observers who will be
distributed throughout the country approximately one month in
advance of election day.
The team of permanent members will include a mission chief, an
election analyst, a legal expert, a logistics officer and a media
expert.
The OSCE is financing a project monitoring media coverage of the
elections, implemented by the Croatian Helsinki Committee for
Human Rights. Partial results of the project will be made public
twice during the election campaign, while the final results can be
expected soon after the elections.
Special attention will be paid to preparations for the vote outside
Croatia, including the voting of refugees.
In its work the monitoring mission will cooperate with all
institutions dealing with elections, primarily the Foreign
Ministry, at whose invitation the mission will come to Croatia, the
Justice Ministry, the government's Office for National Minorities,
election bodies, parties, media and civil organisations.
An initial report on the regularity of elections will be presented
the day after the elections, while a final report will be made
public four to six weeks later.
(hina) vm