Drafting election operational plan for Montenegrin State Election Commission focus of OSCE-supported seminar
Good planning is key to the efficient functioning of an election commission, which is why the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized a three-day seminar for members of the State Election Commission (SEC) from 5 to 7 June 2019 in Podgorica on developing an election operational plan in preparation for the upcoming 2020 parliamentary elections.
The plan will serve as a guide for the State Election Commission in administering free, fair and credible elections, in line with the electoral legislation.
Opening the seminar, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Maryse Daviet, said that the Mission values its partnership with the State Election Commission: “We will continue to support the Commission as it strives for greater transparency, integrity, impartiality and accountability. Subscribing to these values will enable the continued delivery of free and fair elections, focusing on the needs of the electorate and addressing the changing environment to ensure every vote remains secure and is counted.”
Đorđije Vukčević, Chair of the State Election Commission, said that the experience of previous elections in 2016 and 2018 had shown that the preparation of an election operational plan was a great help in organizing the work during the election period. “Compliance with procedures, setting priorities and clear division of duties are necessary conditions for the quality performance of each job. Bearing in mind that the election process is strictly formal, it obliges us to approach our work responsibly, continuously making efforts to improve,” said Vukčević.
In his introductory speech, Bujar Basha, OSCE Senior Election Adviser, stated that while every election can be a challenge, the existence of a plan can ensure that foreseeable technical problems do not arise. “By developing and adopting an election operational plan, the SEC’s strategic focus for the upcoming elections should be: managing the elections and enhancing public trust,” said Basha.
This OSCE-supported seminar will be continued next week, after which the SEC will adopt the election operational plan.