Agreement reached on the certification of elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

VIENNA, 9 September 1996 - The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, Swiss Foreign Minister Flavio Cotti, has given his agreement to the following understanding reached between the Chairman of the Provisional Election Commission, Ambassador Robert Frowick and the coordinator of the Election Monitoring Group, Mr. Ed van Thijn, on certification of the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Mandates and Procedures

1. The Coordinator of the Election Monitoring Group will, based on the observations of the International Observers, make an overall assessment of the conduct of the elections and draw his conclusions. In this evaluation he will assess in particular, whether or to what degree the elections have been free, fair and democratic in accordance with the Peace Agreement, and draw his conclusions.

2. The Chairman of the Provisional Election Commission, according to the Commission's Rules and Regulations, will verify whether the elections were valid and certify the results. In this verification he will follow the conclusions of the Coordinator of the Election Monitoring Group.

3. The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE will forward this verification to the Parties to the Peace Agreement and to the High

Representative. Accordingly, the sequence of statements will be as follows:

1. The Coordinator of the Election Monitoring Group will make his Preliminary Statement two days after closing of the polling.

2. The Coordinator of the Election Monitoring Group will make his Final Statement after the publication of the final results.

3. Following that, the Provisional Election Commission will verify whether the elections were valid and certify the results.