The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEC BiH) issued a decision today confirming and publishing the results of the 2026 General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At a press conference, CEC President Jovan Kalaba stated that the decision, along with the confirmed results, would be published today on the Central Election Commission’s website.
Furthermore, the decision will be published in the Official Gazette of BiH, dated today, which triggers the start of the prescribed deadlines for the constitution of government bodies.
“We believe we have successfully met the challenge during one of the most demanding election years, and the Central Election Commission’s preliminary assessments confirm that the elections were fair and democratic. Our timely response to technical difficulties and the successful implementation of new technologies demonstrate that we are prepared to modernize and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process,” Kalaba assessed.
He noted that they coordinated the activities necessary for the preparation and deployment of new technologies – including equipment installation and configuration, system testing, training for electoral and technical staff, the organization of transport and storage, the distribution of equipment to election commissions, and the provision of technical support.
As he explained, this involved a complex, interdependent system in which equipment, software, ballots, logistics, and support had to function as a unified whole.
“We have built a system that will also serve future elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Kalaba stated. According to him, the process that preceded the confirmation of the election results involved the consolidation of all categories of votes.
“All our activities were primarily focused on the Main Counting Centre in Sarajevo, where votes from voters outside BiH, mobile teams, absentee ballots, and unconfirmed ballots were being processed intensively; additionally, tasks were carried out in accordance with orders from the Central Election Commission of BiH,” said Kalaba.
He added that the Central Election Commission of BiH issued six directives to the Main Counting Centre prior to the determination of election results, and an additional three directives following the determination of those results.
“Following the determination of the election results, we received 25 requests for the recounting of ballots; for comparison, during the 2022 General Elections, that figure was 125. This speaks volumes about the integrity of these general elections and the significantly reduced need for additional verification of the election results,” stated the President of the Central Election Commission of BiH.
According to him, the Court of BiH rejected all appeals filed against the decisions of the Central Election Commission of BiH made after the determination of the election results, thereby upholding the legality of the Commission’s decisions.
Kalaba announced that, in the coming days, the Central Election Commission will work on preparing certificates of mandate allocation. He noted that any newly elected officials who intend to decline their mandate may submit a statement to that effect to the Central Election Commission of BiH starting today, allowing the procedure for allocating replacement mandates to begin immediately.
“Furthermore, any newly elected members of legislative bodies who currently hold an executive position from a previous term – and who wish to exercise their right to place their new mandate on hold – must submit a statement accepting the mandate, along with a request to place it on hold. This must be accompanied by evidence confirming their continued service in an executive position from the previous term, and must be submitted within seven days of the announcement of the certified election results,” said Kalaba. He added that signed statements and requests for the suspension of a mandate must be submitted in person at the headquarters of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH. Forms for the acceptance or rejection of a mandate, as well as the request for the suspension of a mandate, are available on the CEC BiH website.
Kalaba noted that, for the first time in a general election in BiH, provisions of the Election Law of BiH—which have been in effect since March 2024—are being applied. These provisions concern elected members of legislative bodies and the suspension of their mandates while they hold an executive office.
Kalaba pointed out that, according to the definition provided in the Election Law of BiH, an “executive office” includes the following positions: a member of the Presidency of BiH; a member of the Council of Ministers of BiH (including their deputies); the President and Vice-Presidents of the Federation of BiH; the President and Vice-President of Republika Srpska; a member of the Government of the Federation of BiH (including the Prime Minister); a member of the Government of Republika Srpska (including the Prime Minister); a member of the Government of the Brčko District of BiH; a member of a Cantonal Government; a mayor; a deputy mayor; a municipal head; and a deputy municipal head.
“The Central Election Commission has regulated this matter in greater detail through the Instruction on Placing a Mandate in Abeyance and Reactivating a Mandate in Abeyance. The Central Election Commission issues a decision to place the mandate of an individual elected to a legislative body in abeyance, and to award the mandate to the next candidate from the list – whether a regular list or a compensatory list – from which the individual whose mandate is being placed in abeyance was elected. The Commission also conducts any necessary preliminary proceedings to establish the facts,” he explained.
A mandate enters a state of abeyance on the fifth day following the submission of a written request to that effect, a matter upon which the Central Election Commission issues a formal decision. All rights and duties associated with the position being placed in abeyance are suspended for the duration of this period.
“A candidate who replaces an individual whose mandate has been placed in abeyance shall assume the rights and duties associated with that position for the duration of the abeyance period. No later than eight days after ceasing to perform an executive function, the individual who placed their mandate in abeyance may submit a written request to the Central Election Commission of BiH to reactivate the mandate – that is, to resume exercising their mandate,” said Kalaba, adding that the Central Election Commission of BiH urges compliance with the deadlines prescribed by the Election Law and subordinate legal acts. Kalaba also stated that the Central Election Commission makes a decision regarding the activation of a mandate and the termination of the mandate of a candidate who was previously assigned a substitute mandate. This decision must be issued within a period not exceeding 15 days from the date the request for mandate activation is submitted. The Commission then notifies both the person who requested the activation and the individual whose substitute mandate is being terminated.
He clarified that a mandate suspension cannot last for less than six months, except in cases stipulated by the Election Law of BiH, where the suspension lasts until another person is appointed to the same executive position or until a resignation is submitted.
“Furthermore, we are set to conduct indirect elections – specifically, the election of 15 delegates to the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, 80 delegates to the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, and 28 delegates to the Council of Peoples of the Republika Srpska,” Kalaba noted, Fena writes.
