Newsroom
OSCE prepares for elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina
SARAJEVO 10 September 1998
SARAJEVO, 10 September 1998 - The OSCE is finalizing preparations for the parliamentary and presidential elections to be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 and 13 September. These elections will be the fourth OSCE-supervised elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nation-wide elections will be held for the House of Representatives (Parliament) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for the tripartite Presidency of the country. In the Bosnian Federation, elections will be held for the Federation House of Representatives and for Cantonal assemblies, as well as for nine newly created municipal councils. In the Republika Srpska, elections will be held for the National Assembly and for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency, as well as for two newly created municipal councils. Nearly 6,000 candidates have been certified by the Provisional Election Commission to stand for the elections.
2,600 international supervisors are being deployed at 2,270 polling stations all around the country. Final voter registers are being prepared. It is estimated that the number of people eligible to vote will be approximately 2.5 million. Out-of-country voting, managed by the International Organization for Migration, began on 10 August for approximately 154,000 registered refugee voters.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE institution mandated to monitor elections, has deployed 12 long-term observers throughout the country. They will be joined by 150 short-term observers as well as observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Senator Tana De Zulueta of Italy, has been appointed the Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for the Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Senator De Zulueta will lead the OSCE short-term election observation mission and issue the preliminary post-election statement for the OSCE, in conjunction with the ODIHR On-Site Co-ordinator, Mr. Mark Power-Stevens.
During the weeks leading up to the elections, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina has been busily engaged in activities promoting a fair and democratic election process, such as disseminating information to voters; supporting the campaigns of political parties; ensuring fair and equitable access for political parties to media throughout the country; informing the Media Experts Commission on media behaviour; and fostering inter-ethnic understanding especially between returning refugees/displaced persons and the resident population.
To get the latest information on the activities of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the elections, please check their website at http://www.oscebih.org
2,600 international supervisors are being deployed at 2,270 polling stations all around the country. Final voter registers are being prepared. It is estimated that the number of people eligible to vote will be approximately 2.5 million. Out-of-country voting, managed by the International Organization for Migration, began on 10 August for approximately 154,000 registered refugee voters.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE institution mandated to monitor elections, has deployed 12 long-term observers throughout the country. They will be joined by 150 short-term observers as well as observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Senator Tana De Zulueta of Italy, has been appointed the Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for the Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Senator De Zulueta will lead the OSCE short-term election observation mission and issue the preliminary post-election statement for the OSCE, in conjunction with the ODIHR On-Site Co-ordinator, Mr. Mark Power-Stevens.
During the weeks leading up to the elections, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina has been busily engaged in activities promoting a fair and democratic election process, such as disseminating information to voters; supporting the campaigns of political parties; ensuring fair and equitable access for political parties to media throughout the country; informing the Media Experts Commission on media behaviour; and fostering inter-ethnic understanding especially between returning refugees/displaced persons and the resident population.
To get the latest information on the activities of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the elections, please check their website at http://www.oscebih.org