ODIHR opens mission in Skopje to observe 5 July parliamentary polls

WARSAW/SKOPJE, 31 May 2006 - The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has established an Election Observation Mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to monitor the 5 July parliamentary elections.

"We will follow the entire election process, from campaigning and the media to the election administration and legislation. This will also include recent changes to the election code and its implementation," said Ambassador Audrey Glover from the United Kingdom, who heads the mission.

The ODIHR experts will assess the process against national legislation and international election standards agreed to by all OSCE participating States.

This is the ninth time the ODIHR observes an election or referendum in the country since 1996. The mission consists of 13 international election experts and 18 long-term observers.

As in previous missions, the ODIHR will request OSCE States to also send 250 short-term observers to monitor proceedings on election day as well as the count and the tabulation of results.

The day after the elections, the Mission will issue a statement of preliminary findings. A comprehensive final report will be released two months after the completion of the election process.

The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission and the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje operate under separate mandates.