First round of Croatia's presidential election meets standards overall, further legal and administrative efforts needed
ZAGREB, 28 December 2009 - The first round of the presidential election in Croatia held on 27 December met OSCE commitments and other international standards overall, but certain issues remain to be addressed, the limited election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a preliminary report issued today.
The mission noted that the election underscored recent efforts by the election administration and other relevant state institutions to improve the electoral process.
"The positive developments the mission has seen in this election clearly demonstrate that much work has been done to improve the process," said Ambassador Daan Everts, the head of the observation mission.
"While we were happy to see this, I urge the Croatian authorities to use this momentum and move forward quickly, particularly with regard to the legal framework. The complaints and appeals process, for example, needs fundamental improvements. The establishment of a State Election Commission with full-time membership would also benefit the process."
The presidential election law, essentially unchanged since 1992, lacks detail and is not always consistent with laws that govern other elections, the preliminary report states. There is consensus among all participants that the legal framework should be overhauled and consolidated as a matter of urgency.
Voters and candidates were not always fully aware of key elements of the electoral process, such as pre-registration. A more active information campaign by the relevant institutions could have helped to address this problem.
Overall, the media provided voters with ample opportunity to learn about the candidates and their programmes. However, the restrictive interpretation of a legal provision that stipulates equal coverage of all candidates to some extent limited editorial policies and the information available to voters.
In general, the preliminary report states, officials, candidates and voters alike had a considerable degree of confidence in the integrity of the electoral process, the election administration operated transparently and openly, and voting on election day appeared to proceed in a calm and orderly manner.
The ODIHR limited election observation mission will remain in the country to assess the second round of the election, scheduled for 10 January.
For further information contact:
Mr. Thomas Rymer, OSCE/ODIHR Acting Spokesperson in Warsaw, mobile: (+48 609 522 266); or Ms. Nicola Schmidt, OSCE/ODIHR Election Advisor in Zagreb, mobile: (+385 95 97 98 94).