The European Commission will draft new guidelines following Gong’s appeal

Following Gong’s complaint to the European Ombudsman concerning the participation of President von der Leyen in a HDZ election campaign video, the European Commission decided to develop guidelines for the participation of its members in national election campaigns. The European Ombudsman, the body to which Gong reported Ursula von der Layen‘s participation in the HDZ’s…

Gong recommendations for improving elections and referendums

In the current year we have once again been witnesses to the political irresponsibility of the government to start a reform of the electoral and referendum legislation. In the upcoming year we will be faced with the unadjusted electoral units, incomplete regulation of referendums and paper voting. In October 2019 the ninth assembly of the…

„SEC deliberately designed to be passive and cater to party interests“

Instead of electing independent, non-partisan experts with experience in administrating elections to the State Electoral Commission (SEC) in order to make it a truly proactive body, the Parliament has merely voted in “fresh” not-entirely-partisan persons, missing a crucial opportunity to strengthen the role and public image of the SEC – this was the message sent…

Parliament adopts amendments to election law

The majority in parliament on Friday adopted an amended law on the election of MPs that introduces preferential voting at parliamentary elections too. The opposition did not vote on the bill and walked out of parliament because the sponsor, the ruling Social Democratic Party, at the last moment, when voting had already commenced, changed its…

NGOs urge banning persons convicted of gravest crimes from running in elections

Leaders of nongovernmental organisations gathered in the civil society organisation “All of us for a Croatia of all of us” on Thursday commented on reports that the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP) would amend electoral legislation to prevent from running in parliamentary elections persons sentenced to prison sentences of more than six months until the…

Ruling coalition without agreement on election bill

Zagreb, 09.04.2014 - Sjednica Odbora za Ustav, Poslovnik i politièki sustva Hrvatskog sabora. Na slici predsjednik Odbora Peða Grbin. foto FaH/ Denis CERIÆ /ds

An attempt by the ruling coalition parties to come up with a joint proposal for new rules in parliamentary elections has definitely fallen through so the senior partner in the coalition, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on Wednesday sent its own bill of amendments to the law on parliamentary elections. “SDP has sent into procedure…