BS
At the beginning of August, a photograph and text about a press conference held in Prijedor were published on Branislav Borenović’s official Facebook page, under the headline: “While Those in Power Are Sleeping, We Are Offering Solutions.” The post further stated: “It is time to stop dealing with politics ‘from today until tomorrow.’ We need responsibility, serious work and concrete solutions. Citizens are not looking for excuses. They are looking for results. It is time they finally get them.”
The “Pod Lupom” Coalition reported the post to the Central Election Commission due to a possible violation of the Election Law in relation to premature election campaigning. The law defines this violation as “any form of campaign activity undertaken by political entities in the period from the calling of elections until the official start of the election campaign.” The “Pod Lupom” Coalition considered that the post sent voters a message that the political party in question was the only one capable of offering solutions to some of the problems mentioned, while simultaneously discrediting representatives of other political parties, particularly those currently in power. According to the Coalition, this could constitute election campaigning aimed at securing voters’ support.
At the request of the Central Election Commission, the Draško Stanivuković – Safe Srpska Coalition (PSS, PDP, NPSP) submitted a response in which it deemed the complaint unfounded and untimely, arguing that the post addressed issues in general terms and that it was “an example of political activity that does not enter the sphere of election campaigning.” Candidate Branislav Borenović also stated in his response that the complaint was unfounded and that “the mechanism for protecting the integrity of the electoral process is being used to challenge the regular parliamentary and political activities of an elected representative.”
The Central Election Commission rejected the explanations provided by the political entity and the candidate and imposed the following fines: 7,500 KM on the political entity, to be shared by its member parties, PDP and NPSP, and a separate 3,000 KM fine on candidate Branislav Borenović.
In its reasoning, the Central Election Commission stated that the post clearly displayed the identifying features of the political entity, while the text clearly conveyed to voters the message that “the political entity in question is the only one capable of offering solutions to problems, while simultaneously discrediting representatives of other political parties, particularly those currently in power…” The Commission further noted that Borenović had been nominated as a candidate of the coalition for the elections and had been certified to participate in them.
When determining the amount of the fine, the Commission took into account the fact that, prior to this penalty (at the session held on August 27), the Draško Stanivuković – Safe Srpska Coalition (PSS, PDP, NPSP) had already been sanctioned six times for premature election campaigning.
When determining the fine for Borenović, the fact that he had not previously been sanctioned for premature election campaigning during the current election cycle was taken into account as a mitigating circumstance.
