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Elections integrity to be guaranteed by domestic and international observers in Bosnia and Herzegovina
SARAJEVO 6 April 2000
SARAJEVO, 6 April 2000 - With more than 6,600 domestic and international election observers, including 750 international supervisors, that will blanket the country on Saturday, April 8, for the municipal elections, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina is confident that the municipal elections will pass without serious incident or fraud.
"Anyone thinking about defrauding the process should consider that there will be 5,613 domestic observers, 300 international observers, 750 supervisors and OSCE staff monitoring the process," said OSCE Mission Spokesperson Tanya Domi. "The polls will be covered on Election Day and we, together with others, will be watching carefully to safeguard the integrity of these elections."
The OSCE will focus its resources on areas that have a history of electoral fraud.
Thousands of civil society actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will play a key role in Saturday's elections, when 293 NGOs will field domestic observers to monitor and report on the electoral process. Among the groups leading the effort are the Centers for Civic Initiatives and the Coalition Elections 2000.
The OSCE welcomes the unprecedented high level of NGOs' participation as a critical step toward BiH ownership of the electoral process.
The OSCE established its present Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 December 1995. In accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace, the OSCE activities are to promote democratization and the building of a vibrant civil society; foster the development of professional journalism and monitor the rights of journalists; monitor and advance the human rights situation; supervise the conduct of elections, and encourage Regional Stabilization through arms control and confidence and security-building measures.
The OSCE Mission continues to work closely with other international organizations and local institutions to implement the Dayton Peace Accords.
MEDIA CONTACT: For information, contact the Press and Public Information, OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, tel.: (+387-71) 292 172; fax: (+387-71) 292 289; website: www.oscebih.org; e-mail: [email protected]
"Anyone thinking about defrauding the process should consider that there will be 5,613 domestic observers, 300 international observers, 750 supervisors and OSCE staff monitoring the process," said OSCE Mission Spokesperson Tanya Domi. "The polls will be covered on Election Day and we, together with others, will be watching carefully to safeguard the integrity of these elections."
The OSCE will focus its resources on areas that have a history of electoral fraud.
Thousands of civil society actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will play a key role in Saturday's elections, when 293 NGOs will field domestic observers to monitor and report on the electoral process. Among the groups leading the effort are the Centers for Civic Initiatives and the Coalition Elections 2000.
The OSCE welcomes the unprecedented high level of NGOs' participation as a critical step toward BiH ownership of the electoral process.
The OSCE established its present Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 December 1995. In accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace, the OSCE activities are to promote democratization and the building of a vibrant civil society; foster the development of professional journalism and monitor the rights of journalists; monitor and advance the human rights situation; supervise the conduct of elections, and encourage Regional Stabilization through arms control and confidence and security-building measures.
The OSCE Mission continues to work closely with other international organizations and local institutions to implement the Dayton Peace Accords.
MEDIA CONTACT: For information, contact the Press and Public Information, OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, tel.: (+387-71) 292 172; fax: (+387-71) 292 289; website: www.oscebih.org; e-mail: [email protected]