Young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina turn out for elections less and less often, and there are few of them on the candidate lists. According to the data provided in the report, young people make up between 12 and 15 percent of the candidates, which raises the question of how much political parties really give them room to decide.
Rada Mićić from Bijeljina, a long-time youth activist and president of the “Vizija mladih” Association, voted in the last elections, but says that there are not many of her peers who regularly participate in the election process.
“We have elections every year. That speaks volumes about the parody of the political system of our country and the period in which we live and where we live. Young people are generally oversaturated with all these stories and topics,” stated Mićić.
The research results presented in the appendix show that almost 40 percent of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not follow politics or political events, while 17 percent only follow topics that interest them. Among those who follow politics, there are also young people who do not use their right to vote because they are not satisfied with what they see.
The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights warns that the share of young people among voters is decreasing. Dražen Nikolić from this committee assessed that the problem is not necessarily the disinterest of young people, but the lack of political offers that would motivate them to get involved.
“I wouldn’t say that they are not interested, the bigger problem is that there is nothing to offer them or there is nothing that will activate them,” said Nikolić.
Young people who join political parties are often engaged in handing out leaflets, carrying flags and working in the field, while they are rarely entrusted with more responsible roles in decision-making.
Miloš Stanišić, president of PSS in Bijeljina, believes that young people should be given the opportunity to decide.
“We gathered young people, we gave them the opportunity to decide, and I must tell you that the campaign in Bijeljina was carried out by young people on their backs. As for young people in general, why are they boycotting and not coming out, I think that the political scene, that is, the figures on the scene, do not motivate young people to come out,” said Stanišić.
Research shows that young people more easily vote for politicians who have visible results or offer clear solutions to problems. However, only one percent of young people believe that politicians fulfill their pre-election promises, which indicates deep distrust.
The president of the “UM” Youth Association, Anastasija Gogić, pointed out that young people are not necessarily uninterested, but that they do not have enough trust in political actors.
According to the data provided in the attachment, there are between 12 and 15 percent of young people on electoral lists. While politicians wonder why young people do not vote, the question remains why more and more of them are looking for their future outside the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
