ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - The non-governmental election monitoring association GONG said in a report on the course of voting by 16:00 hours on Sunday that polling stations were opened on time throughout Croatia, that voter committees
had received the necessary voting materials on time, and organised polling stations in line with relevant regulations.
ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - The non-governmental election monitoring
association GONG said in a report on the course of voting by 16:00
hours on Sunday that polling stations were opened on time
throughout Croatia, that voter committees had received the
necessary voting materials on time, and organised polling stations
in line with relevant regulations. #L#
It is GONG's general assessment that the elections were held in a
tolerant and democratic atmosphere and that election rules were
observed.
Election observers reported only a smaller number of "crisis
situations", but numerous cases of violation of the electioneering
ban were reported yesterday and today.
These reports include one stating that Croatian True
Revival/Croatian Bloc (HIP/HB) members of the electoral commission
in Dugo Selo verbally assaulted a mobile GONG team and a team of the
French TV station Arte.
It was also reported that members of national minorities were
prevented from voting for state slates at some polling stations,
after they decided to vote for them. The general assessment in
villages in the Imotski area of southern Croatia is that the
identity of voters was not checked and that family voting was
allowed, i.e. voting on behalf of another family member.
With regard to the violation of the media blackout on 22 and 23
November, the GONG report notes numerous such cases, mostly
referring to the casting of promotional material in mailboxes,
sticking it on windshields, and throwing it from driving cars.
The electioneering ban was violated by different parties
throughout the country with regard to promotional material.
The report especially makes note of cases when promotional posters
were displayed in the vicinity of polling stations. Such violations
were committed at several locations by the Croatian Democratic
Union, the Croatian Social Liberal Party/Democratic Centre
coalition and the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS).
The elections were followed by 3,000 activists of GONG throughout
Croatia, and 63 mobile teams visited polling stations in all
counties.
(hina) rml sb