Foreign observers will follow the parliamentary elections with a critical eye

Parliamentary electionsParliamentary elections in Norway.Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB scanpix

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26 international observers will attend the parliamentary elections on Monday. Data security is something they’ll be looking at.

 

 

‘Although most things are correct in Norwegian elections, experience shows that international observers give us a useful barometer,’ said Secretary General, Bjørn Engesland, of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

With financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the committee has invited international experts to ensure everything goes well on election day.

Observers’ criticism of the elections in 2005 led to sharper demands that voters show bona fide credentials.

After the 2013 election, the deadline for the vote count was extended because observers pointed out long journeys to voting boothsin Finnmark, for example, pointed out the Helsinki Committee in a press release.

Most of the observers come from former Soviet Republics, and have experience with, and have worked for, democracy in their own country of origin.

‘I don’t think we’ll come across illegal methods of influencing the election results, but data security will be an important theme for the election observation,’ said Olga Kotsjuruba, Ukraine’s election observer.

The observers will visit 17 municipalities, from Arendal in the south, to Kirkenes in the north, and will observe both the parliamentary, and the assembly elections.

Engesland will present the conclusions reached by the election observers on Tuesday, the 12th of September, at 15.00.

 

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today

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