The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Pod lupom” held a press conference today, presenting the results of a public opinion survey on citizens’ trust in elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
Seven out of ten citizens in BiH, specifically 71.4%, believe that elections are neither free nor fair. This data reflects a deeply rooted distrust in the electoral process and the belief that electoral fraud outweighs the true will of the voters.
This feeling of distrust is further reinforced by the fact that almost one in four citizens, according to the survey results, have witnessed vote-buying or some form of electoral fraud. As a result, citizens not only doubt the legitimacy of elected officials but also often feel powerless within the system they are part of.
Almost no BiH citizens support vote-buying or electoral fraud as a means of gaining power (96.1%). However, it is important to note that respondents typically give socially desirable answers to such questions. Nevertheless, this high figure suggests a broad consensus within society that the fight against electoral irregularities is urgently needed.
As regards improving the electoral process, 83.4% of citizens support the introduction of new technologies in elections as a way to combat electoral fraud. Notably, as many as 100,000 citizens have previously signed the Coalition “Pod lupom” petition calling for the introduction of new technologies into the electoral process. This strong support clearly indicates that full implementation of these technologies would help restore citizens’ trust in the election process.
Currently, citizens place the highest trust in election candidates (20.3%), the Coalition “Pod lupom” (19.4%), and the Central Election Commission of BiH (16.7%), while authorities and officials have the lowest level of trust (4.6%).
Despite these challenges and the high level of distrust, seven out of ten citizens of BiH intend to vote in the 2024 Local Elections, with a higher percentage in the Federation of BiH (73.7%) compared to the Republika Srpska (65.8%). This shows that, despite concerns over irregularities, citizens still view elections as an opportunity to decide who will represent their interests.
The Coalition “Pod lupom” encourages all citizens to share their positive or negative election experiences and stories about what restored their trust in elections, or report any electoral irregularities that caused them to lose trust. This can be done through the form at: https://mojeiskustvo.podlupom.org/
The public opinion survey was conducted as part of the “Civil Society for Election Integrity” project, funded by the European Union and co-financed in part by Sweden.
In accordance with legal provisions, basic information about the public opinion survey is provided below. The survey was commissioned by the Coalition “Pod lupom,” but paid for by the Centers for Civic Initiatives (CCI) on behalf of the Coalition “Pod lupom.” The research was carried out by the Public Opinion Research Agency Prism Research & Consulting d.o.o. Sarajevo.
The survey sample represents the population of BiH (18+), and the CATI method (telephone survey) was used. The sample included 1,000 respondents, with a margin of error of +/- 2% at a 95% confidence level. The research was conducted from August 1, 2024, to August 31, 2024.
