Osce/odihr Announces Preliminary Findings of Election Observation Mission

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and European Parliament (EP) announced on Thursday their joint Election Observation Mission's (EOM) preliminary findings and conclusions concerning the June 29 parliamentary elections.

The EOM was launched on May 20 to determine whether the elections complied with the OSCE commitments, other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as domestic legislation.

Laima Liucija Andrikiene (Lithuania), who led the EP delegation and Ambassador Audrey Glover, head of the OSCE/ODIHR EOM, both stressed that although election day saw orderly voting, high voter turnout and a genuinely competitive contest with a range of political choice, this 'did not offset the impact of late fundamental changes to election laws on Mongolia's democratic development,' according to the preliminary statement

'Mongolia is a functioning democracy, which is a very special [thing] in this region of the world,' Andrikiene said before highlighting last-minute changes to the electoral legislation that caused concern, including the fact that 150,000 Mongolian citizens living outside the country, including diplomats, were prevented from voting.

The observers noted that the consolidation of election legislation into a new law adopted December 25 was a positive development toward establishing a cohesive electoral framework.

They pointed out that changes in the law made in May, including converting the mixed electoral system to a majoritarian one, which established 76 single-mandate constituencies and approved their boundaries, 'were introduced by Parliament in a process that lacked transparency, public consultation and adherence to established criteria. This resulted in profound population discrepancies among constituencies.'

Additionally, the participation quota for women was reduced from 30 to 20 percent, 'again, without discussion,' Glover said.

Glover added that these changes are contrary to international best practice, which advocates that no fundamental amendments to election procedures should take place at least 12 months before an election. Mongolia imposed its own six-month rule before the law was dropped in May.

'This short timeframe makes it difficult for voters to understand the law and the effects that it will have, and raises doubt that the sudden, last-minute changes are free from political interest,' Glover said.

The observers also found that while the media...