ODIHR final report on Montenegro’s presidential election recommends comprehensive review of electoral legislation

The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 15 April 2018 presidential election in Montenegro recommends a comprehensive and inclusive reform of the election legislation. The aim of the reform should be to harmonize provisions in different election-related laws so as to avoid legal collisions.

The report also recommends that the election administration, including the State Election Commission, increase the transparency of its work, in order to earn public trust, and that further measures be introduced to safeguard the integrity, impartiality and professionalism of the election administration. 

The report also recommends limiting the number of supporting signatures required for candidates to stand for office to no more than one per cent of the voters. Developing clear instructions for verifying the signatures is another recommendation.

The report calls on authorities to investigate all allegations of electoral violations and take necessary measures to discourage vote-buying and prevent pressure on citizens to participate in campaign events or vote for a particular candidate.

The report further recommends that authorities strengthen the independence of the public broadcaster and the media oversight body.

For election day observation, the ODIHR Election Observation Mission joined efforts with the delegations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.