Nearly all aspects of Montenegro's presidential election in line with international standards, observers say

PODGORICA, 7 April 2008 - Nearly all aspects of Montenegro's first post-independence presidential poll were in line with international standards for democratic elections, observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) concluded in a joint statement issued today.

"This is another important step towards the citizens of Montenegro creating an established 21st century democracy. We were delighted to welcome Montenegro to the Council of Europe family of nations and are pleased to be able to help the country develop its electoral laws, procedures and practices. We wish them well", said David Wilshire, head of the PACE delegation.

"The electoral process was very well conducted with impressive controls to protect the integrity of the ballot on election day. It is now timely to address fully the longstanding issue of the visible formal separation of the principal governing party and the state", said Julian Peel Yates, head of the ODIHR long-term election observation mission.

Voting on election day took place in an orderly and peaceful manner, and was assessed by the observers as good or very good in 98 per cent of polling stations visited. Some procedural problems were observed during the counting process, but the tabulation of results again was evaluated as good or very good in all cases observed.

The observers found a number of issues still needing attention, including the continued blurring of state and party structures and an apparent lack of financial transparency.

The observers noted that the registration of four candidates offered voters a genuine choice. The election campaign took place in a calm environment, with a focus on substantive policy issues. The legal framework was generally adequate for holding a democratic election, but has yet to be further harmonized with the new Constitution. The election administration, representing a plurality of political parties, functioned well and increased confidence in the election process. The public media offered voters a substantial degree of information on all candidates, but coverage of the campaign lacked analysis and slightly favoured the incumbent.

For further information contact: Jens-Hagen Eschenbaecher, OSCE/ODIHR, +48 603 683 122, jens.eschenbaecher@odihr.pl , Vladimir Dronov, PACE, +33 663493792, vladimir.dronov@coe.int