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OSCE/ODIHR to observe municipal elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina
SARAJEVO 2 September 2004
SARAJEVO, 2 September 2004 - The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has established an Election Observation Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina to observe the municipal elections scheduled for 2 October.
The upcoming polls will be the first elections fully funded and organized by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first in which mayors are directly elected, the first under the new electoral regime in Mostar, the first direct local elections in Brcko since the war, and the first to implement several new amendments to the Election Law.
The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, headed by Peter Eicher (United States), consists of 10 international election observers based in Sarajevo and 11 long-term observers who will be deployed around Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the coming weeks, the Election Observation Mission will assess the election process in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. The Election Observation Mission will monitor the election campaign, including the media, the legislative framework and its implementation, the administrative preparations, the work of election administration, and the resolution of election disputes.
The OSCE/ODIHR has requested 220 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the elections to monitor voting, counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results. They will be joined by a delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
On the day after the election, the OSCE/ODIHR will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions. A comprehensive final report will be released approximately six weeks after the completion of the election process.
The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina operate separately under their specific mandates.
For further information, please visit the special website of the Election Observation Mission.
The upcoming polls will be the first elections fully funded and organized by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first in which mayors are directly elected, the first under the new electoral regime in Mostar, the first direct local elections in Brcko since the war, and the first to implement several new amendments to the Election Law.
The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, headed by Peter Eicher (United States), consists of 10 international election observers based in Sarajevo and 11 long-term observers who will be deployed around Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the coming weeks, the Election Observation Mission will assess the election process in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. The Election Observation Mission will monitor the election campaign, including the media, the legislative framework and its implementation, the administrative preparations, the work of election administration, and the resolution of election disputes.
The OSCE/ODIHR has requested 220 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the elections to monitor voting, counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results. They will be joined by a delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
On the day after the election, the OSCE/ODIHR will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions. A comprehensive final report will be released approximately six weeks after the completion of the election process.
The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina operate separately under their specific mandates.
For further information, please visit the special website of the Election Observation Mission.