This year’s parliamentary elections in Croatia were professionally managed, competitive and pluralistic despite challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. These are some of the main conclusions from the final report on the 5 July 2020 Croatian parliamentary elections, as published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

Voters were provided with a wide range of political alternatives and adequate information about candidates. The COVID-19 pandemic constituted a clear challenge for all electoral stakeholders. Nevertheless, the election administration ensured a well-managed process, despite the fact that some procedures were only adopted shortly before election day.

However, the principle of equality of the vote was undermined by the absence of regular review of constituency boundaries together with deviations in the size of in-country constituencies.

The report offers 21 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections in Croatia and to support efforts in aligning them with OSCE commitments, as well as other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.

Key recommendations include:

• Ensuring the equality of the vote through a periodic review of constituency boundaries accounting for changes in voter and population numbers
• Reviewing electoral legislation to ensure consolidation and harmonization of applicable provisions
• Considering setting up a single unified electoral code
• Strengthening legal gender representation requirements through more effective enforcement mechanisms
• Decriminalizing defamation and insult, and reviewing civil remedies designed to restore the reputation by taking into consideration the level of harm caused
• Defining more clearly the scope of jurisdiction of institutions responsible for oversight and the availability of enforcement mechanisms.