Croatia’s parliamentary elections held in pluralistic and transparent manner, although space remains for improvement

ZAGREB, 5 December 2011 – The parliamentary elections held on 4 December in Croatia took place in a pluralistic environment and were administered in a professional and transparent manner, but further steps should be taken to improve the process, the limited election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a preliminary report issued today.

“The elections are another sign of a genuine and concerted effort by the Croatian authorities and other electoral stakeholders to provide voters with transparent democratic elections,” said Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, the head of the mission.

“Although improvements to the legal framework are still needed, and issues related to the voter list and relative constituency sizes should be addressed, the steps taken in relation to shortcomings identified by past missions have been positive.”

Electoral contestants were able to conduct their activities freely in a campaign that was measured and focused on issues such as the economy and unemployment. The media provided voters with access to a plurality of views.

The State Election Commission performed their duties in a professional and transparent manner, and was trusted and considered impartial by the majority of stakeholders. The elections were administered efficiently, despite a tight election calendar, the report finds.

While the report states that the legal framework provides a sound basis for the conduct of democratic elections, it notes that consolidation and harmonization of legal provisions would benefit the process.

It also states that the equality of the vote was undermined by significant variations in the sizes of electoral constituencies. Although most stakeholders expressed confidence in the accuracy of voter lists, some raised concerns over the high number of registered voters relative to preliminary results from the 2011 census.

New campaign finance regulations enhanced the transparency and accountability of this process, but certain issues require further attention, the report states. The areas requiring attention include pre-campaign expenditures, disclosure of commercial discounts and the efficacy of sanctions.

The few complaints and appeals filed during these elections were processed in a transparent and timely manner. Voting on election day in the limited number of polling stations visited by the limited election observation mission was conducted in an orderly and transparent manner.