The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in co-operation with the civil society organization (CSO) “Zašto ne?” Sarajevo launched a new web platform, www.glasometar.ba, on 22 October 2020, to support the development of a Voting Advice Application (VAA) in Brčko District. The VAA is designed to help voters make informed decisions in the run-up to, and during elections.
VAAs, used in many western democracies, facilitate informed voting by making it easier for voters to research party policies and platforms, thus assisting voters in making an informed decision with their votes. This application is tailored to enable a voter to compare personal political preferences with the positions of competing political parties.
In co-ordination with the Mission, “Zašto ne?” created a set of questions on practical policy issues and general ideology in which political parties often have diverging views. As the political parties answer these questions, voters can see to what extent their political preferences are aligned with each political party.
“This application will provide voters with access to concrete information about political parties and candidates in the run-up to the municipal elections in Brčko District, making it possible to vote based on concrete proposals put forward by candidates,” said Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH Kathleen Kavalec. “Making comparative data on political platforms of the candidates easily available to citizens through technology is a welcome step forward for democracy in Brčko District. Citizens should be well informed as they exercise their right to make political choices about the future of their communities in free and fair elections.”
The project is implemented as part of the project that aims at improving the 2020 electoral process in Brčko District in line with electoral recommendations by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and national legislation.
The OSCE Mission to BiH remains dedicated to assisting Brčko District in the upcoming election process so that voters can familiarize themselves with political parties’ views and policies.
