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On January 21, 2007, Senator Consiglio Di Nino, Mr. David Christopherson, M.P., Mrs. Nicole Demers, M.P. and Mr. Lui Temelkovski, M.P., took part in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly’s International Election Observation Mission of the Parliamentary Elections in Serbia. They were accompanied by Mr. Denis Robert, Executive Secretary, OSCE Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association The January 21 parliamentary elections in Serbia provided a genuine opportunity for the citizens of Serbia to choose from a range of political platforms and were in line with OSCE commitments and Council of Europe’s standards for democratic elections. “The elections in Serbia were free and fair,” said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Göran Lennmarker, Special Co-Ordinator of the OSCE short-term observers. “I was personally impressed and proud on behalf of the Serb people for the professional, orderly and well-organized way they carried out this election. It bodes well for Serbia’s future.” The campaign was vigorous and took place in an unrestricted atmosphere. A broad range of media provided voters with extensive information about parties and their activities. Public broadcasters generally provided balanced coverage of major parties. The twenty lists of political parties and coalitions were registered in an inclusive process, providing voters with broad choices in a competitive electoral environment. Six out of twenty political parties and coalitions represented minorities, and for the first time in recent years Albanian minority parties contested national elections. The election law provides safeguards that promote democratic election practices, ensure transparency and protect the secrecy of the vote. However, concerns have been raised regarding the law allowing parties to choose, after the elections, which candidates take a seat in the parliament, disregarding the order on the candidate’s list. Tadeusz Iwinski, Head of the Delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, PACE, added: “The way the parliamentary elections were held in Serbia proves that the country has made significant progress towards ensuring a free expression of the will of the electorate, whose active participation in the vote shows its intense involvement in determining the vector of their country’s development. All this is extremely important in the light of Serbia’s upcoming chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe that starts in May 2007.” Voting on Election Day was conducted in a peaceful und orderly fashion. International observers were greeted warmly, and well-informed officials willingly briefed the observers at the many polling stations around the country. The officials performed their tasks in a well organized and professional manner, which contributed to the high level of confidence among voters. The counting went smoothly and efficiently. Some procedural irregularities were noted, such as low and flimsy voting screens which did not always ensure the secrecy of the vote. The over 60 parliamentarians from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly were joined by members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and from the European Parliament, as well as representative from the OSCE/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) observation mission in Ukraine. Respectfully submitted, The
Honourable Senator Consiglio Di Nino
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