On 15 July 2020, the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) officially announced the deployment of an International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to Montenegro to observe the 30 August 2020 Parliamentary Elections. The mission was composed of seven Core Team members, eight Long-Term observers (LTOs), and was reinforced by an additional 38 Short-Term observers (STOs) to observe at polling stations on Election Day. After observing the pre-election period and preparations for the holding of the election, the mission issued an Interim Report on 15 August. Through its observers deployed at polling stations on 30 August, the mission additionally observed the process of opening, voting, closing and counting, and transfer of election materials to Municipal Electoral Commissions (MECs) on Election Day. The IEOM issued its Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions on 31 August.

The mandate and scope of the IEOM was limited to monitoring of the 30 August Parliamentary Elections; the IEOM did not monitor Local Elections which were held in parallel on the same day in five municipalities. However, selected aspects of the Local Elections were taken into account in the analysis when necessary, to the extent that they affected certain elements of the Parliamentary Elections.

This final report is based on ENEMO observers’ findings, interviews with stakeholders, and analysis of the legal framework and other documents. The report includes findings, assessment of the framework and conduct of the elections, and recommendations to key-election stakeholders, with the aim of addressing observed shortcomings and improving aspects of the electoral process in Montenegro.

Disclaimer: The ENEMO IEOM to the 30 August 2020 Parliamentary Elections in Montenegro was financially supported by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The content of the document is the sole responsibility of ENEMO and does not necessarily represent the position of the donors.