Early Parliamentary Elections, 14 October 2012

Following an invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro to observe the 14 October early parliamentary elections, and based on the findings of the Needs Assessment Mission, ODIHR deployed a Limited Election Observation Mission for these elections.

Long-term observation

The LEOM, which has commenced its activities in Podgorica on 14 September, is headed by Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens (Germany) and consists of core team based in Podgorica. Twelve long-term observers are expected to arrive on 17 September August and to be deployed to the regions of the country.   

The mission will assess these elections for compliance with principles for democratic electoral processes, including commitments agreed to by all the OSCE participating States, as well as national legislation. Observers will follow campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant state bodies, implementation of the legislative framework, and the resolution of election disputes. As part of the observation, the LEOM will conduct a comprehensive monitoring of the media.

Previous elections

The OSCE/ODIHR has observed elections in Montenegro since 1997, most recently in 2009.