Although the Election Law of BiH explicitly prohibits members or individuals associated with political parties from being appointed as presidents and deputy presidents of polling station committees, Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) has uncovered a large number of individuals who have applied for this position, and who are evidently members, activists, former candidates, or even current officials in political party bodies across BiH.
The Central Election Commission of BiH (CEC BiH) has established and published a list of candidates for presidents and deputy presidents of polling station committees for the 2024 Local Elections, after which TI BiH called on citizens to report any knowledge of political affiliations of individuals on the candidate list.
The public response was swift and concrete – reports were received for 54 individuals who are connected to political parties or hold positions in party bodies, and who have applied to preside over polling station committees.
Such appointments have the potential to seriously undermine the integrity of the electoral process and citizens’ trust in the elections themselves, and are contrary to the Election Law of BiH, especially the amendments imposed by the High Representative, which state that the president of a polling station committee and their deputy must not be members or hold positions in political party bodies, nor should they be involved in any activities that prevent them from performing their duties in an impartial manner.
Additionally, TI BiH has identified 24 more individuals who were candidates in previous elections and are now applying for positions where they directly manage the electoral process on election day, which the Election Law of BiH also explicitly prohibits.
TI BiH has forwarded all information to the CEC BiH and once again calls on all citizens to continue reporting such cases, to ensure that the individuals overseeing the voting process are appointed in accordance with the law, and are not politically biased or involved in party activities.
Citizens can report all types of irregularities via email address izbori@ti-bih.org or using the Reflektor: Izbori 24 application, which is available for Android and iOS smart devices. Reflektor allows citizens to easily, anonymously, and securely report irregularities and abuses during and immediately before the start of the election campaign in order to shed light on electoral irregularities and ensure a transparent and fair electoral process.
The list of candidates for presidents and deputy presidents of polling station committees can be found on the CEC website, and a searchable extract from the list can be found on Transparentno.ba
