The international election observers from Central Asia and the Caucasus were stunned by Norwegian voting conditions, and were not sure how impressed they should be by the signs of widespread public trust. The observers checking municipal voting stations noted that it was possible in several places to vote without an election card or identification, often, but not always, because a person was acquainted by controllers. The conclusion was that mutual trust was essential for Norway's elections to proceed the way they do and that cheating would be laughably easy, NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) reports.Besides the lack of consistent identification practices, the absence of security guards at voting stations and the ability to take as many ballot papers as desired were also deemed noteworthy and slightly unsettling to observers used to strictly monitored elections. Mayor Åse Hammerhei from HobÞl in Østfold County said that it was important for outsiders to cast a critical eye over Norway's election system. "I think it is a bit Norwegian to believe that everything is best in Norway. It isn't always so and it is exciting for someone to view us critically," Hammerhei told NRK.
Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg told NRK that it was important to remember that the election observers in Østfold are used to far different conditions prevailing during voting. "We must remember that those that are observers here come from a completely different background of experience, where each little opportunity to swindle and cheat must be countered by regulations and practical routines," Solberg said.
Obviously has no experience dealing with Democrats
The observers present are from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova and Georgia. They are following voting in HobÞl, Spydeberg, Ski, Drammen, Eidsvoll, Bergen and Oslo.