ZAGREB, Dec 8 (Hina) - The office for coordination of observers at the Croatian parliamentary election, scheduled for January 2000, has to date received applications of some 320 monitors. It is estimated that the January election can
attract twice as many observes as there were during the presidential election in 1997. That year, 450 odd monitors from 33 countries were present at the Croatian presidential election. According to the data released by the coordination office, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has registered 250 monitors, the European Mission 50, and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly 14 ones. This great group of the OSCE includes 18 so-called long-term observers who arrived in Croatia prior to the beginning of election activities and who will stay until the announcement of the last election results. The coordination office expects o
ZAGREB, Dec 8 (Hina) - The office for coordination of observers at
the Croatian parliamentary election, scheduled for January 2000,
has to date received applications of some 320 monitors.
It is estimated that the January election can attract twice as many
observes as there were during the presidential election in 1997.
That year, 450 odd monitors from 33 countries were present at the
Croatian presidential election.
According to the data released by the coordination office, the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has
registered 250 monitors, the European Mission 50, and the Council
of Europe Parliamentary Assembly 14 ones.
This great group of the OSCE includes 18 so-called long-term
observers who arrived in Croatia prior to the beginning of election
activities and who will stay until the announcement of the last
election results.
The coordination office expects observers from the Copenhagen-
based OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament and
national parliaments.
Some national parliaments, for instance, Slovene, Hungarian and
Austrian, have informed that their monitors will be part of the OSCE
group, said the office's head, Lavoslav Torti, on Wednesday.
Response from German Bundestag, and Italian, French, British,
Polish, Slovakian, Macedonian and Bosnian parliaments whether they
will forward their observers is still expected.
It is likely that embassies accredited in Zagreb will also send
their monitors.
Observers from big non-governmental organisations such as the U.S.
National Democratic Institute and the International Republican
Institute that monitored Croatian elections to date, will probably
come as well.
In addition, observers of Croatia's NGOs will be also included.
The State Election Commission has received requests from 11 such
organisations. The requests of 10 NGOs were processed and they were
allowed to monitor the January ballot, while the request of the
Dalmatian Committee of Solidarity is being now processed.
(hina) ms