ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - The first round of Croatia's presidential election, held on January 24, "marked further progress in fulfilling the country's commitments" as a participating member-country of the OSCE (Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe) and of the Council of Europe, read a report compiled by an international mission for the monitoring of the voting in Croatia, which included OSCE and Council of Europe representatives. This report entitled the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions, which OSCE and Council of Europe issued in Zagreb on Tuesday, read that nine presidential candidates "were able to register and compete effectively for the presidency." It described their campaigns as dynamic. It added that "in a marked contrast to previous elections, the State broadcaster HRT (Croatian Radio and Television) was noticeably more balanced, in general, p
ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - The first round of Croatia's presidential
election, held on January 24, "marked further progress in
fulfilling the country's commitments" as a participating member-
country of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe) and of the Council of Europe, read a report compiled by an
international mission for the monitoring of the voting in Croatia,
which included OSCE and Council of Europe representatives.
This report entitled the statement of preliminary findings and
conclusions, which OSCE and Council of Europe issued in Zagreb on
Tuesday, read that nine presidential candidates "were able to
register and compete effectively for the presidency." It described
their campaigns as dynamic.
It added that "in a marked contrast to previous elections, the State
broadcaster HRT (Croatian Radio and Television) was noticeably
more balanced, in general, providing neutral and objective
coverage of candidates' campaign activities."
Underlying a large voter turnout of 63 percent, the report read that
"in general, polling and vote-count procedures were conducted in a
calm and orderly manner, and voters were able to express their
political will freely."
International monitors, however, pointed to certain
irregularities noticed during the polling procedure in Bosnia-
Herzegovina such as multiple voting, a lack of secrecy of voting,
"failure to verify identification documents and inadequate
checking of voter registers."
"Despite the progress noted, important concerns continue to
fundamentally impede Croatia's democratic development," the paper
read.
It quoted three concerns:" (1) the Law on Citizenship granting
ethnic Croats born abroad and having no permanent residence in
Croatia the right to Croatian citizenship and the right to vote; (2)
a large number of refugees in neighbouring countries, mostly
members of the Serb minority of Croatia, remain effectively unable
to assert their citizenship and therefore exercise their right to
vote; and (3) the risk of discrimination and intimidation
associated with the ethnic identification on voter lists was
retained for this election, though it was irrelevant."
The OSCE and the Council of Europe will monitor the follow-up to the
aforementioned concerns and have expressed readiness to continue
the dialogue with Croatia's authorities with a view to addressing
these concerns, the report read.
(hina) ms