The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Sarajevo announced that it will not receive approval from the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to organize the presidential elections of the Republic of Poland on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that the elections will still be held – within the premises of the Embassy in Sarajevo.
The Embassy’s statement states that they have duly informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina about the organization of the elections for the President of the Republic of Poland via a diplomatic note, but that they have not requested approval for holding the vote, because – as they state – it is not necessary when the elections are held within the headquarters of the Embassy.
“Given the fact that international law guarantees unhindered access of citizens to its diplomatic mission, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Sarajevo will organize the elections for the President of the Republic of Poland on its premises for Polish citizens who temporarily or permanently reside in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the Embassy’s statement states.
The elections will be held on May 18 in the first round, and a possible second round is planned for June 1, 2025. Voting will last from 07:00 to 21:00, and the only polling station will be the building of the Embassy of Poland at Višnjik 20 in Sarajevo.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH points out in its official response that the Council of Ministers of BiH at its session on April 7 did not reach a consensus on accepting the diplomatic note from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, and did not give its consent to organize the elections, even in the premises of the Embassy.
“The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina at its 75th session held on April 7, 2025 did not reach a consensus on accepting the diplomatic note from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland… and did not give its consent to organize the vote,” reads the official act of the Ministry, which officially informed the Embassy of the lack of approval.
Interestingly, a similar situation occurred last year, when Poland, together with Romania and Slovakia, was denied permission to organize elections for the European Parliament on the territory of BiH.
The Polish Embassy reminds that elections are not organized outside the headquarters, implying that in such a case, the consent of the host country is not necessary. However, the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains that without the consent of the Council of Ministers, such a form of voting is not regulated and approved.
The Polish Embassy also states the principle of reciprocity, according to which BiH citizens in Poland can vote in elections organized by the BiH Embassy in Warsaw.
The BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies about the possible increased traffic and the need to protect the Embassy building.
Whether this is a mere procedural misunderstanding will be shown in the coming days.
