Stay tuned for all the latest developments, election results and reactions as Bosnia and Herzegovina goes to the polls in general and presidential elections.
14:25 Sunday’s election may bring Bosnia some new faces – but it is unlikely to bring new approaches to the country’s ever worsening economic, political and societal crisis. Read Srecko Latal’s analysis Bosnia Approaches Polls With More Fear Than Hope
14:05 Zeljko Komsic, member of the Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, and candidate of the Democratic Front for the State Parliament, cast his ballot in Sarajevo.
13:45 Around 50,000 party monitors are overseeing voting in the 142 municipalities alongside around 6,000 accredited overseers for the Central Electoral Commission.
13:20 Member of the European Parliament from Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, said she hoped European oriented politicians will win in the elections. She told Dnevni avaz daily that she hoped the elections will be fair and democratic and that voter turnout would be high.
“It is necessary that Bosnia and Herzegovina retrieves its credibility..” she said, “I expect that politicians will from now have the responsibility for the country and its citizens.”
13:15 Candidate of the Union for Changes in Republika Srpska for the Serb seat in the tripartite Presidency, Mladen Ivanic, said that he hopes people will decide wisely.
“People of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina decide once in four years on who will be governing,” he said, “I hope they will be in the position to use this opportunity to really decide about the key political processes.”
13:00 Fahrudin Radoncic, candidate for the Bosniak member of the Presidency said after voting that he believes that the people will choose change after suffering and stagnation.
“I expect from the elections spectacular and big changes, pro-Western orientation of the electorate and a chance for new political, energetic and competent forces,” Radoncic said.
12:40 Ognjen Tadic, candidate of the opposition bloc Union for Changes running for president of Republika Srpska cast his ballot. He said that he expected changes and that any attempts for election fraud would be punished.
“It is important that we believe in Republika Srpska, that we all go out to vote and in that way show that no party, no individual is above Republika Srpska,” he said adding that the high voter turnout is sign of changes to come.
12:20 The President of the State Electoral Commission Stjepan Mikic said at a press conference at noon that the turnout until 11 am was 14.2 per cent on state level. In the Federation entity the turnout was 13 per cent while in Republika Srpska it was 16.2 per cent.
“In comparison with the previous elections in 2010 in the same period until 11 am, the turnout is a bit higher,” he said, “In 2010 it was 13.5 per cent.”
He mentioned a few municipalities with the highest turnout this morning such as Banovici with 32 per cent and Sokolac with 27 per cent.
Mikic said that all of the 5,401 the polling stations were opened so far. He added that a few dozen polling stations were not opened on time at 7 am due to variety of reasons such as a need of re-counting the prepared ballots, members of the elections committee being late or some other technical reasons.
There were only reported minor incidents.
(Source: the Balkan Insight)
