Principal Deputy High Representative and Brčko District Supervisor Michael Scanlan commended Brčko Chief of Police Goran Pisić and District Chief Prosecutor Zekerija Mujkanović for their respective institutions’ efforts to identify and prosecute attempts of election fraud. The Supervisor also met with the Basic Court President Jadranko Grčević and Appellate Court President Damjan Kaurinović to underscore the importance of meaningful sentences for those convicted of trying to usurp the right of the people to vote – the cornerstone of a democratic society.
“Attempts to manipulate the election process, and in particular through fake absentee votes, threatens to undermine the positive reform narrative witnessed in Brčko the past 18 months. Residents of Brčko should share with law-enforcement authorities any information they have about election fraud. As we have seen, the authorities will act on it,” the Supervisor underscored.
The Head of the District Election Commission Andrea Štrkalj Mrkonjić briefed today the Supervisor on the ongoing preparations for elections in the District. The Supervisor and Ms. Štrkalj Mrkonjić agreed that voters in the District should have confidence that their votes will be counted. All polling stations, from the opening through the counting of votes in the evening, will be monitored by independent civil society organisations under an EU, U.S. and OSCE-funded initiative.
The Supervisor also conveyed to Ms. Štrkalj Mrkonjić the assurances he had received yesterday from the Mayor and the Assembly Speaker that the necessary funds will be made available to ensure that all polling stations are properly equipped with personal protective equipment to ensure a safe voting environment. In this context, election boards must make sure that epidemiological instructions are observed to the letter, while at the same time not restricting full access to independent observers, the Supervisor added.
