The second regular assembly of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, consisting of representatives of 40 CSOs from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been organised.
19 full members were elected at the Assembly of the Coalition “Pod Lupom”. Two new organizations joined the Strategic Board of the Coalition “Pod Lupom”. This is the first expansion of the full members of the Coalition “Pod Lupom” since its establishment in 2014.
In addition to CCI from Tuzla, CGS from Livno, DON from Prijedor, FGT from Tuzla and Perpetuum mobile from Banja Luka, Coalition Pod lupom and its Strategic Board will now include also the Association of Women Grahovo from Bosansko Grahovo and Youth Center “Vermont” from Brčko District BiH.
The Coalition “Pod Lupom” will not stop when it comes to its formal expansion, but will focus on creating real changes that will have a long-term positive impact on the electoral processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
New members bring additional energy, expertise and commitment. CSOs from all around of Bosnia and Herzegovina have shown their commitment to working on improving the electoral process and protecting the basic democratic rights of citizens – said Mr. Šehić, President of the Strategic Board of the Coalition “Pod lupom”.
Given the current challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, citizens’ trust in elections has been seriously shaken. In this context, Mrs. Zelić, a new member of the Strategic Board and director of the Association of Women Grahovo, underlines the vision of the Coalition “Pod lupom”: Working on free and fair elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina is extremely important. By protecting the integrity of elections, we will strengthen democratic processes in the country and restore citizens’ trust in elections in BiH. – stated Mrs. Zelić.
Preventing and sanctioning electoral irregularities remains one of the key goals of the Coalition “Pod lupom”. Therefore, work on detecting, reporting and preventing irregularities becomes imperative in the period to come.
Elections without irregularities, without electoral theft and fraud are crucial for preserving democracy, as they ensure that the will of citizens is respected and protected. Only through fair elections we can restore trust in elections. – said Mr. Radenković, new member of the Strategic Board and director of the Youth Center “Vermont”.
At the second Assembly of the Coalition “Pod lupom”, the leaders of the Assembly were also elected. The President of the Assembly is Mrs. Svetlana Vuković, Director of the Center for Responsible Democracy “Luna” – Rudo, and the deputies are Mr.Adis Muhibić, Director of the Association “Volunteers and Friends of the Konjic Region (VIPK)” – Konjic and Mrs. Snežana Šešlija, Director of the Citizens’ Association “Tolerance against Diversity – ToPeer” – Doboj.
In addition to receiving new full-fledged members and new members to the Strategic Board, the Principles of Operation of the Coalition “Pod lupom”, the Procedure Book of the Assembly, and the Procedure Book of the Strategic Board were adopted at the Assembly. Also, the Work Report in 2024 and the Work Plan for 2025 were presented. Civil society organizations, members of the Coalition “Pod lupom” in 2025 will focus on improving the electoral process and electoral reform, advocating recommendations for better elections, and increasing the involvement of citizens in the activities of civil society organizations and educating citizens about elections in BiH.
