OSCE/ODIHR begins observation for Montenegrin parliamentary elections

WARSAW/PODGORICA, 9 August 2006 - The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights deployed an Election Observation Mission today to observe Montenegro's parliamentary elections on 10 September 2006.

The parliamentary elections will be the first since Montenegro became an independent state following a 21 May referendum, also observed by the OSCE.

The long-term OSCE/ODIHR mission, headed by Jorgen Grunnet of Denmark, consists of nine international staff based in Podgorica and 17 long-term observers deployed around the country. It will assess the parliamentary elections for their compliance with principles for democratic electoral processes, including commitments agreed to by all OSCE participating States, as well as national legislation.

Observers will closely monitor campaign activities, the media, media coverage, the legislative framework and its implementation, the work of the election administration and relevant government bodies and the resolution of election disputes. The mission will comment on the municipal elections that are schedule to be held concurrently only to the degree that they may have an impact on the parliamentary elections.

The OSCE/ODIHR will ask OSCE participating States to second 150 short-term observers to observe the voting, counting and tabulation of results. The short term observation will also include observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The day after the elections, the observers will issue a preliminary statement. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be published approximately two months after the end of the observation mission by the OSCE/ODIHR.

The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission and the OSCE Mission in Montenegro, headed by Ambassador Paraschiva Badescu, operate separately under their specific mandates.