Rekommendationsrapport till Litauiska centrala valkommissionen klar!

I maj 2009 organiserade Silc, tillsammans med Vitryska Human Rights House, Vitryska Universitetet EHU samt Litauiska JUBIC en kurs i valobservation för unga vitryssar, litauer och svenskar och gruppen observerade de litauiska presidentvalet den 17 maj 2009. Sammanlagt deltog 76 personer i själva observationen och de besökte 178 vallokaler, från öppnandet till stängningen och rösträkningen. Därefter skrevs pressrelease och en presskonferens hölls i litauiska parlamentet. Nu är gruppens rekommendationsrapport till Centrala valkommissionen klar! Läs den här!
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Post-election Report
on Short-term Observation of Presidential Election
Lithuania, 17th May, 2009

Background
On 17 May, 2009 Presidential election was held in Lithuania. It was the fifth Lithuanian Presidential election since Lithuania was recognized as independent country in 1991. A group of observers from Belarus, Lithuania and Sweden accredited under the Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC) observed 186 polling stations in Vilnius, Šiauliai, Telšiai, Utena, Klaipeda, Alytus, Kaunas, Marijampolė and Panevėžys areas.

SILC Election Observation Mission consisted of 76 observers from 3 countries, including 63 Belarusian, 8 Lithuanian and 5 Swedish nationals The Mission was organized within the framework of the project “Election Observation: Theory and Practice,” implemented in partnership by four organisations: the United Centre of Initiatives for Belarus (JuBIC), Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC), European Humanities University (EHU) and Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius (HRH). Previous project missions observed parliamentary elections in Norway (September 2007), Georgia (May 2008) and Lithuania (October 2008).

Election Process
Our short-term observation team observed the the polling stations opening, the process of voting, the closing of polling stations and the counting during Election day.
In general, the elections were well organized. The election board members were friendly towards observers as well as voters and necessary assistance was provided upon request. The chairpersons were experienced and aware of relevant laws and regulations. The overall performance of the commissions was assessed as good or very good.

It is worth mentioning that we found the new form of voter rolls at the polling stations very convenient. They were designed in a way that names were visible both for voters and registrars and there was no need to turn it around.

The counting was conducted in a transparent manner in almost all of the observed polling stations. All the authorized persons present were able to clearly follow the procedure. The results were recounted upon request and announced publicly. In most cases, observers were able to carry out their mission without restrictions.

However, there were several deviations that we considered to be an overall tendency.

First of all, the secrecy of the ballot was not always respected. This resulted in numerous cases of open voting when voters, either consciously or unconsciously, made their choice public. Most of the time this happened because they failed to fold the ballot before putting it in the ballot box. Either the voters were not informed about the importance of voting privately correct word? perhaps in secrecy? or they did not understand how the ballot should be folded. Sometimes the voters did not close the curtains of polling booths, which also resulted in situations when their choice was visible to others.

Another deviation observed was the presence of more than one person, usually family members, in the same booth during voting. Thus, there were doubts whether votes were cast individually.
The reason for these deviations was poor understanding of the secrecy principle by both voters and Commissions’ members.
The lack of unified rules for the organization of polling stations led to significant shortcomings. The absence of clear rules regarding the organisation of polling booths resulted in a great variety of polling booth construction design. Consequently, the Commission in some cases failed to ensure the secrecy of the ballot. For example, in some of the observed polling stations the polling booth was placed in front of the window which could create the possibilities for fraud. In some of the polling stations the curtains were almost transparent or not wide enough. This created potential for open voting and seriously undermined the principle of secret voting.

The absence of standards for ballot boxes and ballot box seals should also be addressed. Observed ballot boxes were made from different materials – mostly, they were transparent or wooden. In some of the polling stations the secrecy of ballot could be put under doubt as the seal on the boxes was not firmly attached. The way the ballot boxes were sealed, using glue and a piece of paper, did not always guarantee that the boxes would not be open during Election day with malicious intend. Apparently, the seal could easily be broken and put back without any visible damage. It could also be substituted with no special effort. Although the possibilities to perform these actions during the Election Day were minimized, it is important to provide unified rules of ballot box and ballot box seal to assure safety of the ballots.
The identification of voters was sometimes skipped or not properly done. The ID’s were sometimes not requested by the members of Commission. In other cases, driver’s license instead of passport was presented for voter identification. It was evident that in rural areas, where mostly the incidents with improper identification were observed, the voters and the Commission members often knew each other. However, when it comes to such an important issue as elections, it is necessary to followthe law to ensure everyone is being treated equally.
Proper storage of ballots before the Election Day is a prerequisite for the integrity of ballots. However, in some of the observed polling stations this was not followed. The ballots were kept either at the polling station, without police supervision or at Comission members’ homes, mainly Chairpersons’. As to storage of the ballots during the Election Day, there were several cases when the ballots were lying unattended within the reach of voters.

What we would like to point out is the commission member’s complaints regarding the work of post officers delivering voter certificates. Commissions complained of a high number of undelivered voter certificates that have to be returned to the polling stations. This could hamper the efficiency of the work of Commission during the Election Day.

Taking into account all the above mentioned, we would like to present the following recommendations.
1. To reduce cases of open voting and ensure the secrecy of ballot:
• We consider it necessary to provide better explanations of voting procedures for voters. This could be done by putting the relevant information inside all polling stations. Also, spreading out reminders for voters before the Election Day can help the voters to get acquainted with the voting procedures in advance.
• We see the need to provide better instructions to the Commission about the importance of secrecy of vote. It should be emphasized that the Commission can and must stop any instances of open voting whatever is the reason for such behavior.
• We consider it important to especially encourage voters to fold the ballot. This can also be done by drawing a folding line on a ballot which will be a hint to voters to fold the ballot properly.
2. To improve the conduct of elections, standardized rules have to be established. This in order to ensure equal possibilities for all voters on all polling stations. This should be done with due account to:
• Construction of polling booth. Special attention should be paid to rules regarding the location of the booth itself and the curtains should be thick and wide enough.
• Construction and proper sealing of ballot boxes. A unified outlook of the ballot boxes and rules concerning the sealing should be introduced. It is necessary to bear in mind that the seal on the ballot box should be secure enough to guarantee the safety of the ballots in the ballot box.
• Proper storage of the ballots before and during Election Day. The storage before Election Day shall ensure that there is no possibility to manipulate with the ballots. A certain place in which the ballots should be stored has to be provided. During the Election Day the ballots should be kept beyond the reach of voters.
3. To ensure better delivery of voter certificates
• We consider it important to reconcile postal and electoral constituencies
• We recommend to consider the possibility of handing over the competence and responsibility for delivery of voter certificates to relevant election commissions. However, if the responsibility remains within the Post office, a control and cooperation system should be introduced to make the process more effective.
4. To raise the overall efficiency of election process:
• We suggest to provide extensive training for all Commission members. This training shall concentrate on all the procedural delicacies during the preparation for Election Day and Election Day itself. To ensure this, a short reminder with instructions concerning the issues that require special attention must be handed out to each member. To ensure knowledge of the procedures each of the members of Commission can put their signature upon having acquainted with the rules.
• Introduce a direct hot-line with the Central Election Commission for consultations about the Lithuanian legislation and voting procedures accessible to both voters and election commission members of all levels.

• Education of voters is necessary. The procedures have to be clearly explained to them. To achieve that, instructions on the reverse side of the ballot and/or voter certificate can be spelled out. These instructions can also be announced using mass-media or through informational leaflets which will not only contribute to better knowledge of election procedures but can also influence the turnout.
• It is necessary to increase the financing of the elections with due consideration of expenses on election materials, equipment, training of the Commission members and voter’s education.

Although several deviations were observed and addressed above, we conclude that Presidential Elections in Lithuania on 17st May, 2009 generally met international standards and can be considered acceptable.

15.07.2009