Czech presidential election competitive and professionally organized, several aspects remain to be addressed, concludes OSCE/ODIHR final report

The presidential election in the Czech Republic in January 2013 was competitive, professionally organized and enjoyed a high level of public confidence, says the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) released on 30 April 2013. The report suggests further steps to improve some aspects of the electoral process, including candidate registration and campaign finance.

The report notes that this was the first election in the Czech Republic in which the president was elected through a popular vote in line with constitutional amendments adopted in February 2012.

While the legal framework is assessed as providing a generally sound basis for conducting a democratic presidential election, the report recommends that authorities could consolidate the election legislation into an electoral code to make it more consistent and more transparent.

The report notes that while the current law provides for the presence of international observers, it does not foresee observation by citizen observers, which is not fully consistent with the provisions of the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document.

Other recommendations include a review of the legal framework for the candidate registration process, particularly with regard to the verification of signatures. Introducing standard procedures on the compilation and update of voter lists to avoid inconsistencies or multiple entries could also be considered.

The report also recommends that the law could be amended to introduce meaningful control and oversight mechanisms to improve the transparency and accuracy of reporting on campaign financing.