Second round of Croatia's presidential election generally meets standards, but further improvements needed

ZAGREB, 11 January 2010 - Yesterday's second round of the presidential election in Croatia generally complied with OSCE commitments and other international standards, but further legal and institutional improvements are needed, the limited election observation mission deployed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a statement issued today.

"The positive developments we noted during the first round were confirmed by what we witnessed in the second round," said Ambassador Daan Everts, Head of the Mission. "There are, however, areas that require immediate attention."

The report identifies a need for consolidation and harmonization of the legal framework for elections. It also states that provisions for complaints and appeals require substantial adjustment in order to be fully in compliance with OSCE commitments.

The lack of formal rules led to at least one controversy during the second round of the campaign, as the State Election Commission ruled that a campaign ad for one candidate violated the "permitted and correct manner" of running an election campaign.

Although legal requirements for the disclosure of campaign finance reports were met, these are minimal. The Mission also identified the lack of independent auditing and enforcement mechanisms as an issue that remains to be addressed.

The media continued to offer ample and diverse information, enabling voters to make an informed choice and, on the whole, provided balanced coverage of both candidates. Requirements for equal coverage for all candidates were easier to implement with two candidates in the second round.

"Voting on election day appeared to proceed in a calm and orderly manner," Everts said. "As in the first round, confidence in the election administration and the integrity of the process remained high."