Early Parliamentary Elections, 5 June 2016
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Mission at a glance
- Head of Mission: Ambassador Jan Petersen (Norway)
- Core team of 12 staff from 10 participating States
- 24 long-term observers to be deployed throughout the country
- 300 short-term observers to be requested from participating States
Mission schedule
31 March: Opening press conference
11 April: Arrival of long-term observers
12 April: Briefing of long-term observers
13 April: Deployment of long-term observers
1 June: Arrival of short-term observers
2 June: Briefing of short-term observers
3 June: Deployment of short-term observers
5 June: Election day
6 June: Press conference on preliminary findings and conclusions
8 June: Departure of short-term observers
15 June: Departure of long-term observers
18 June: Departure of the core team
Following an official invitation to observe the early parliamentary elections scheduled for 5 June 2016, based on the findings and conclusions of the Needs Assessment Mission deployed from 2-5 November 2015, and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE/ODIHR deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) for these elections.
The OSCE/ODIHR EOM and the OSCE Mission to Skopje operate separately under their specific mandates.
Long-term observation
The OSCE/ODIHR EOM, headed by Ambassador Jan Petersen, consists of 12 international experts based in Skopje. In addition, 24 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 31 March.
The OSCE/ODIHR EOM will assess this election for its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. Observers will closely monitor voter registration, candidate registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant governmental bodies, election-related legislation and its implementation, the media environment and the resolution of election-related disputes. As part of the observation, the mission will also monitor the media coverage of the campaign.
Short-term observers
The OSCE/ODIHR requests participating States to second three hundred (300) short-term observers (STOs) to observe voting, counting and the tabulation of results. STOs will be deployed in multinational teams of two, under a deployment plan prepared by the OSCE/ODIHR EOM. In the interest of a broad and balanced representation among participating States, the OSCE/ODIHR requests that individual participating States nominate only up to 15 per cent of the total number of requested STOs. Please consult the information sheet.
Election Day
The OSCE/ODIHR will request 300 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the 5 June elections. The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results.
The day after the election, ODIHR will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the observation mission.
Co-operation with Other Partners
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are planning to deploy observer delegations for these elections.
Previous elections
The OSCE/ODIHR has observed fifteen elections in the country, most recently the 2014 presidential and early parliamentary elections.