ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - The GONG non-governmental organisation for election monitoring reported on Sunday afternoon that all polling stations in Croatia were opened on time, i.e. at 07:00 hrs, and that voting in most of them was
proceeding in a tolerant and democratic atmosphere.
ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - The GONG non-governmental organisation for
election monitoring reported on Sunday afternoon that all polling
stations in Croatia were opened on time, i.e. at 07:00 hrs, and that
voting in most of them was proceeding in a tolerant and democratic
atmosphere. #L#
GONG representatives also informed about some minor incidents and
breaches of the ban on electioneering.
GONG observers toured 248 polling station by 10:00 hrs.
In a polling station in the village of Gudci (the greater area of
Velika Gorica, south of Zagreb), the electoral committee gave
several ballots to one person who wanted to vote for himself as well
as on behalf of other members of his family, (the so-called family
voting). Besides, voters who opted for voting for ethnic
minorities' slates were exposed to unpleasant comments.
In the western Croatian town of Ozalj, one polling station was
organised in a private house. The problem occurred as no polling
booths were provided, and voters circled their candidates while
being watched by other persons who were present in the kitchen where
the voting was organised. As a result, the secrecy of voting was
breached.
Some electoral committees in Dalmatia and Slavonski Brod-Posavina
County informed mobile GONG teams of observers that they had not
been sufficiently acquainted with election procedure.
GONG received two complaints from abroad where Croatians were
voting in constituency no. 11, designed for the diaspora. The
Croatian Bloc and the Croatian True Revival parties complained
about the behaviour of the electoral committee at the polling
station No. 8 in Croatia's consulate general in Munich.
A candidate standing in the elections informed GONG that there was a
party advertisement in the polling station in the Croatian Catholic
Centre in Keysborough, Australia.
GONG has 3,000 observers monitoring the voting in the whole of
Croatia. In addition, its 63 mobile teams are touring polling
stations throughout the country.
GONG observers are monitoring the voting in polling stations opened
in Croatia's consulates and embassies in Paris, Vienna, Kotor,
Bucharest, Stuttgart and The Hague, too.
(hina) ms