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Sarajevo, (Fena) – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today launched an election observation mission for the local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will be held on October 6 this year.
The Head of the ODIHR election observation mission, Corien Jonker, said at a press conference in Sarajevo that the Mission begins its work following an official invitation from the relevant institutions, after a Needs Assessment Mission was conducted in May of this year.
– Our Mission consists of a core team of 11 international experts based in Sarajevo. In addition to our core team, 20 long-term observers will arrive next Wednesday and will be deployed throughout the country. Additionally, ODIHR intends to recruit 300 short-term observers, who will arrive in BiH a few days before the elections – Jonker said.
According to her, the Mission will assess whether the elections comply with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with domestic legislation.
Jonker added that observers will carefully monitor all key aspects of the elections, including the campaign and activities offline and online (on social media), the work of the election administration at all levels, election legislation and its implementation, respect for fundamental freedoms, the work of public and private media, and the resolution of election-related disputes. Observers will also evaluate the implementation of previous ODIHR recommendations.
Meetings with representatives of government authorities and political parties, as well as with representatives of civil society organizations, media, and the international community, Jonker added, are an integral part of the observation process.
– As for our reporting, we are not interested in the election results, but in the election process. The role of our election observation mission is not to supervise; our only role is observation, that is, monitoring, and our assessments will be published in reports – Jonker added.
According to her, a preliminary report will be published approximately two weeks before the elections to inform the public and the media about the activities of the observation mission. The day after the elections, a statement on preliminary findings and conclusions will be issued at a press conference.
The final report with an assessment of the overall election process, which will include recommendations, will be published several months after the conclusion of the election process. (August 30.)