CRTA started with monitoring of Belgrade pre-election campaign
Belgrade, February 1st, 2018 – The CRTA observation mission Citizens on Watch started today the long-term monitoring of the electoral process in 17 Belgrade municipalities. A total of 50 long term observers, trained in accordance with international standards, observe and gather information about the pre-election campaign, potential irregularities and media coverage of the pre-election campaign.
Long-term election observation currently does not include monitoring of the election administration’s work because domestic observers have not received the approval to participate in the City Electoral Commission meetings, although the Commission on January 17th confirmed that CRTA fulfilled the requirements to monitor the elections.
CRTA’s long-term observers will be located in all Belgrade municipalities until the City Electoral Commission declares the official election results, thus ensuring the equal access to information about election processes and trends.
The CRTA observation mission Citizens on Watch invites citizens to follow the pre-election campaign and to provide information about potential incidents, pressures on voters, misuse of public resources in the campaign and other possible irregularities. Citizens are encouraged to send the information to CRTA Twitter and Facebook profiles, via e-mail kontakt@gradjaninastrazi, or phone number +381 69 232 1901.
CRTA emphasizes a very important role of the media in the election process and their obligation to equally, timely, accurately and fully inform citizens about all electoral lists in the Belgrade elections. If citizens believe that electronic media violate these regulations or that their right to objective information is endangered, CRTA provided the application rem.gradjaninastrazi.rs for filing complaints directly to the authorized Regulatory Body for Electronic Media.
Through regular press conferences, CRTA will present findings of the long-term election observation, while the final report of the election observation mission will be published after the official announcement of the election results.
