Slovenia’s legal framework provides sound basis for democratic elections, some aspects could benefit from further review, says ODIHR final report

Slovenia’s early parliamentary polls on 4 December 2011 showed that the legislative framework provided a sound basis for the conduct of democratic elections, although certain aspects could benefit from further review. These are the conclusions of the final report released by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on 7 February 2012.

The report says that the election administration appeared to work efficiently and impartially while a wide selection of registered candidates provided a pluralism of choice for voters. The registration of candidate lists was inclusive and accommodated the appearance of new parties on the political scene.

However, the report says that the provision of dual voting rights to citizens belonging to the Italian and Hungarian minorities diverges from the fundamental OSCE commitment regarding the equality of the vote and is at odds with international good practice.

The lack of explicit legal provision for international election observation is also noted, although electoral bodies did ensure that the OSCE/ODIHR election assessment mission had full access.

The report points to a diverse and pluralistic media environment. It notes, however, that the enforcement of media regulations, procedures for monitoring campaign coverage and acting on media-related complaints, appeared to be weak. Furthermore, it says that political financing regulations do not provide sufficient transparency.

According to the report, the legal framework provides for the rapid and effective consideration of complaints and appeals, although it identifies certain aspects which could benefit from a review.

While the representation of women has been low in the past, these elections saw the percentage of women elected increase considerably.