Transparency International BiH (TIBiH) welcomes the intensification of efforts of the international community, primarily the United States and the European Union on the much-needed reform of electoral legislation, but the whole process must be transparent and the public has to be informed about the proposed solutions.
Bearing in mind the importance of reforming the entire electoral legislation, TIBiH emphasizes the need to make available all relevant information on the negotiation process, as well as to involve all relevant stakeholders in the process.
The lack of information on concrete solutions, and the lack of relevant institutional discussion on their direction and content, open additional space for speculation, which can undermine the credibility of the process, further complicate it or even lead to additional tensions, said Transparency International BiH.
From the beginning of the entire process, TI BiH has made concrete proposals regarding the improvement of the integrity of elections, primarily through ensuring the independence of the election administration, prevention of abuse and pressure on voters, in accordance with relevant international recommendations.
However, it is evident that there is no support or interest among the BiH politicians for reforms and respect for international standards, in terms of establishing integrity, and that the demands of representatives of ruling political parties are aimed solely at maintaining or increasing their control over the electoral process and producing crises in continuity.
With this in mind, as well as the fact that there are only a few months left until the 2022 General Elections, and due to prolonged blockades and blackmails by political leaders, there is a very narrow window for adopting a solution that could represent substantial progress or to ensure adequate procedure for their adoption. Therefore, it is necessary to take all measures to prevent the blockade of the election process, but also to ensure significantly stronger supervision through a robust election observation mission at all polling stations, as well as by strengthening monitoring of the election process and preventing pressure on voters, TIBiH stated in the press release.
