Presidential Election, 7 April 2013

Following an official invitation from the parliament of Montenegro, and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE/ODIHR deployed a Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) for the 7 April 2013 presidential election.

Based on the findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR LEOM for the 2012 early parliamentary elections, the LEOM will be of a format similar to the one deployed for the previous elections. In the case of a second round of the election, the LEOM may remain in country to continue its observation.

The OSCE/ODIHR LEOM and the OSCE Mission in Montenegro operate separately under their specific mandates.

Long-term observation

The LEOM, which has commenced its activities in Podgorica on 8 March, is headed by Ambassador Boris Frlec (Slovenia) and consists of 10 international experts based in Podgorica. In addition, 12 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 11 March, 2013.

The mission will assess this election 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 the 14 October 2012 early parliamentary elections.