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The Government of Croatia is a guarantor of the
Dayton Peace Agreement. In this respect, the way it will conduct the upcoming
Croatian electoral process has direct implications for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The PIC Steering Board urged the Croatian government to establish transparent
procedures for their conduct and to facilitate, rather than discourage, voting
for all Croatians, including those in Bosnia and Herzegovina who have rights to
citizenship.
The Steering Board called on the government of Croatia to take rapid steps to
this end, including:
- The urgent introduction of streamlined procedures for verifying
citizenship and voter registration both within Croatia and abroad;
- the agreement on procedures for out-of-country voting in embassies and
consulates, and early agreement with the authorities in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the High Representative, and the OSCE on voting procedures within
Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- the centralization and publication of voter lists, and the introduction of
clear, simple procedures for making corrections to those lists;
- an agreement on guaranteed seats in parliament for national minorities.
Failure by the Croatian government to take action along these lines,
particularly where voting in Bosnia and Herzegovina is concerned, will make it
highly unlikely that the forthcoming elections in Croatia will be deemed to have
been free and fair.
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