percentages. Confusion apparently occurs with members of polling boards and political parties,
as 30% and 27% of citizens respectively believe they also have the right to file complaints. Our
interpretation is that citizens find it logical and expected for polling board members to have
this right while the parties are clearly identified with submitters of candidate lists or candidates.
On the other hand, 12% of citizens think that this right belongs to accredited observers, 7%
of citizens believe that civil society in general has this right and 6% that the media can do it.
The logical outcome is that citizens do not know how to file a complaint to a great extent as
this was confirmed by as many as 90% of respondents. One in ten know this, but this is not
sufficient or encouraging data.
Chart 4.3.6.2. Do you know how to file a complaint? (in %)
10
Yes
No
90
4.3.7. Trust in the institutions
Trust in institutions is a social psychological category and trust was gauged for four
institutions in this survey -- the REC and polling boards that are election administration bodies,
for political parties as key stakeholders in elections and for courts, whose role is important in
the last instance in resolving election disputes.
Confidence is relatively high for the election administration bodies (REC and polling boards)
and is 59% and 58%, respectively, while it is relatively low for courts and political parties (37%
and 29%, respectively). On the other hand, 35% show distrust in political parties, 27% do not
trust courts, while 15% of respondents do not trust the REC and polling boards, respectively.
Summing up these findings, we conclude that confidence in the electoral bodies is at a level
that can guarantee basic legitimacy of the electoral process with a note that there is ample
room for improvement. Distrust in the courts reflects a general lack of trust in the judiciary,
while parties have been at the bottom of such lists for years and changes cannot be expected
within a short timespan or through ad hoc responses. One of the reasons of relatively high
trust can also be the effects of priming where respondents would answer questions aware that
this survey covers a narrow topic and that it is focused rather than an omnibus research.
Another reason is the transfer of citizens' trust to the ruling party, which also applies to the
bodies where the ruling party's representatives hold the majority or exert a dominant
influence.
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