CESID and CEMI Will Monitor Montenegro Referendum

18 May 2006

The CESID (Centre for Free Elections and Democracy), in cooperation with the CEMI (Centre for Monitoring) from Podgorica, will monitor the referendum on the state status of Montenegro in all ballot stations, announced CESID.

The monitors from the two NGOs will also observe the work in the municipal referendum commissions, as well as the State Referendum Commission. The information on voter turnout and the results of the referendum will be reported on the basis of a representative sample, with data collected at 300 ballot stations.

"We intend to monitor, above all, the very process of voting, in order to be able to give our impartial and objective evaluation of the regularity of the referendum after the completion of the whole process", says CESID.

In addition to CESID and CEMI, the referendum will be monitored by about one thousand domestic and international observes, while OSCE will have an important role in the supervision of balloting and vote counting. Therefore, the Referendum will be closely followed by several thousand people who are trained to recognize all irregularities, warns CESID.

"At this moment, it is impossible to predicte the outcome of the referendum. The two blocs will fight, to the last moment, for every vote they could get. It is extremely important to complete the referendum without any disputed issues, with full adherence to the rules. The success, or failure for that matter, of the referendum will depend primarily on the regularity of the process. Only indisputable results will be acceptable to all interested parties", estimates CESID.

CEMI announced that on May 21, the referendum day, press conferences on the proceeding of voting will be held every two hours. The first figures with estimates of voter turnout and results are expected late on Sunday evening.