Slovenia, Early Parliamentary Elections, 4 December 2011: Needs Assessment Mission Report

In anticipation of an invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia to observe the 4 December 2011 early elections to the National Assembly, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) undertook a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) from 17 to 19 October. The NAM included Nicola Schmidt, Deputy Head of OSCE/ODIHR Election Department, and Tamara Otiashvili, OSCE/ODIHR Election Adviser.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the pre-election environment and the preparations for the elections. Based on this assessment, the NAM should recommend whether to deploy an OSCE/ODIHR election-related activity for the forthcoming elections, and if so, what type of activity best meets the identified needs. Meetings were held with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Public Administration, the State Election Commission, the Human Rights Ombudsman, the Constitutional Court, as well as with representatives of political parties and the media...