OSCE Mission assists domestic election monitoring in Croatia

ZAGREB, 13 January 2005 - The OSCE Mission to Croatia has donated approximately 21,000 euros to assist GONG, Croatia's leading election monitoring non-governmental organization, to observe the second round of voting in Croatia's presidential elections this Sunday, 16 January.

The OSCE, which is not formally monitoring the election itself, also sponsored the non-governmental organization GONG with 20,000 euros for the first round of the elections.

GONG will use part of the funding to engage 80 mobile teams to monitor the elections in Croatia as well as out-of-country polling stations located in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Ambassador Peter Semneby, said it was important for domestic actors such as GONG to take over the role of monitoring elections from international institutions.

"It is important for civil society to participate in the further development of legal standards for free and fair elections in the Republic of Croatia and to raise awareness among citizens, voters and candidates of the electoral process and their rights," he said.

After the presidential elections, the Mission will also present recommendations for further electoral reform. The recommendations will be based on the observations by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of earlier presidential and parliamentary elections in Croatia between 1997 and 2003, as well as on reports by the State Electoral Commission and GONG.

The issues to be addressed include the creation of a permanent body to prepare and conduct elections; transparency in campaign financing; the maintenance of electoral lists; and the conduct of out-of-country voting.