Josip Salapi, Vice President of the State Election Commission, recently spoke about the upcoming elections for the European Parliament on N1 Dnevnik. He discussed the issue of violations of election silence, noting that while there have been some instances of violations, they were fewer than in elections for the Croatian Parliament. He gave examples such as posts on private profiles, emails sent by a political party to potential voters, and announcements on portals, all of which were quickly addressed by the SEC.
Salapi explained how fines are imposed for such breaches in European and local elections, ranging from 13,000 to 66,000 euros. However, there are currently no penalties for violations in elections for the Croatian Parliament. He also talked about ongoing preparations for polling stations and encouraged voters to exercise their right to vote.
Regarding an incident in Samobor where polling stations will remain open longer due to a rally taking place, Salapi admitted that they were not adequately informed in advance but stated that they are ensuring equal voting time for all citizens. He also mentioned that election silence in other parts of Croatia will be observed until 7:00 pm the following day. Salapi predicted that unofficial results would be available by 11:00 pm once all polling stations had closed, in accordance with EU rules.
In conclusion, Salapi suggested reassessing the need for election silence in Croatian laws and emphasized the importance of avoiding conflicting events during elections. He reaffirmed the SEC’s commitment to ensuring a smooth voting process and urged all eligible voters to participate in the upcoming elections for the European Parliament.
To sum up: The Vice President of State Election Commission Josip Salapi discussed recent violations of election silence during an interview with N1 Dnevnik regarding upcoming European Parliament elections. While there have been some instances of violations this time around, they were fewer than those seen during previous Croatian Parliamentary elections. The SEC imposes fines ranging from 13 thousand to 66 thousand euros for such breaches during both European and local elections but not yet during Croatian parliamentary elections.
