One hundred long-term observers hired by the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Under the Magnifying Glass” together with 85 civil society organizations recorded 238 cases of election irregularities during the three weeks of observation, from September 7 to 27.
Srdjan Ostojic, an election analyst with the Coalition “Under the Magnifying Glass”, said that 81 cases of irregularities related to the premature and legally prohibited campaign in 46 municipalities and cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina were recorded.
“The next most common irregularity is the misuse of public resources, the functions and intensification of public works, and the participation of public servants in the campaign of political entities. There were a total of 54 different cases like this “, stated Ostojic.
According to him, there was pressure on voters and vote buying, as well as biased media reporting and pressure on the media and NGOs.
Dario Jovanovic, project manager of the Coalition “Under the Magnifying Glass”, said that they also recorded attempts to infiltrate party people into the ranks of the Coalition’s observers, to a greater extent than ever before.
He stated that out of 143 local communities – 62 local election commissions do not hold regular weekly sessions, some commissions did not hold a single session during the observation period, while some of them still work in an incomplete composition.
He added that ten local election commissions do not respect the provisions of the law that refer to gender equality, equally, five to the detriment of women and five to the detriment of men.
As he said, what is worrying is that the focus of election irregularities, both globally and in the context of BiH, is shifting from election day to the period before election day. The Coalition “Under the Magnifying Glass” called on the citizens to go to the polls on November 15 and exercise their right to vote, because that is the only way to prevent fraud and prevent anyone from using their ballot.
