OSCE parliamentarians to observe upcoming elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

COPENHAGEN, 18 September 2014 – OSCE parliamentarians will observe the upcoming general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and lead the short-term OSCE observer mission.

Upon the recommendation of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter has designated Roberto Battelli (MP, Slovenia) as Special Co-ordinator to the lead the short-term OSCE observer mission for the 12 October vote. Marietta Tidei (MP, Italy) will serve as Head of the OSCE PA Delegation, which includes more than 30 participants from a range of OSCE States.

"The elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be critical for the country’s continuing need to consolidate democratic gains. As in so many other countries East and West, we will observe whether the vote is in line with OSCE commitments -- and a good election will hopefully help facilitate the reforms that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s citizens deserve,” Special Co-ordinator Battelli said.

“The OSCE and its Parliamentary Assembly have long stood by Bosnia and Herzegovina and will continue to do so during and after this election period. I look forward to arriving in Sarajevo,” he added.

OSCE parliamentary observers will travel to polling stations across Bosnia and Herzegovina, working closely with long-term observers from the OSCE/ODIHR and in co-ordination with colleagues from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

The mission will assess the elections against democratic commitments contained in the OSCE’s 1990 Copenhagen Document.

Roberto Battelli has been the OSCE PA's Special Representative on South East Europe since 2006. He has served as Special Co-ordinator of short-term OSCE observers or OSCE PA Delegation Head for several elections in that region and has observed more than 20 votes across the OSCE area. Battelli was Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE’s short-term observers for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s general elections in 2010 and most recently served in that role for Serbia’s parliamentary elections in March 2014.

Marietta Tidei was elected Rapporteur of the OSCE PA’s Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment at the 2014 Annual Session in Baku. She has participated in several election observation missions since joining Italy’s Delegation to the OSCE PA, including to Serbia, Ukraine and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia this year.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has previously observed general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010, in addition to several other votes.

Since 1993, more than 5,000 OSCE parliamentarians and staff have observed more than 130 different elections in more than 30 countries.

For more information about the OSCE PA’s election monitoring work, click here.