BS
The “Pod Lupom” Coalition submitted an initiative to the Central Election Commission (CIK) to initiate proceedings ex officio against the Safe Srpska Movement – Draško Stanivuković for premature election campaigning. On July 6, 2026, a video was published on the official Facebook profile of the Safe Srpska Movement as well as on Draško Stanivuković’s profile, accompanied by the caption: WE HAVE MADE A STEP FORWARD THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS – FOR THE PEOPLE AND FOR REPUBLIKA SRPSKA!
In the video, Draško Stanivuković announces candidates for the upcoming 2026 General Elections, while also presenting the public with the election programme and the goals that the candidates intend to achieve in their respective positions. In this regard, he states in the video: “All the best candidates are going on the list… We will achieve the best result, we will win the most seats… We had a winning concept… I believe in this, and I assure you, you should be motivated. Today, once again, we have done in politics what no one has ever done before.”
The Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina defines premature campaigning 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.” Based on this provision, the “Pod Lupom” Coalition considered the video to constitute premature election campaigning, since Article 7.1 of the Election Law stipulates that “during the period of premature election campaigning, conducting election campaigns in electronic, online and print media and through social networks, or any form of public campaign advertising, is prohibited.” (At the time of writing, August 20, the video for which the party was fined could still be found on Facebook.)
The Central Election Commission requested a statement from the political entity regarding the case. The Safe Srpska Movement – Draško Stanivuković completely rejected the allegations in the complaint. They argued that the complaint had not been submitted within the deadline prescribed by law and that the event itself was informational in nature and intended for party members, without any intention of influencing voters or conducting a campaign. Draško Stanivuković himself did not submit a response to the complaint.
The Central Election Commission did not accept the party’s explanation. The CIK stated that the statements published on the Facebook pages of the Safe Srpska Movement and Draško Stanivuković, under the headline “We have made a step forward that no one has ever made before – for the PEOPLE and for Republika Srpska,” had a distinctly promotional character, “because the political entity, through self-praise and the highlighting of alleged exceptional achievements, seeks to build a positive image and gain voters’ trust before the official election campaign begins,” according to the CIK.
The Commission also emphasized that the statement, “I have learned that if no one else will, I must. If no one else can, we will,” presents “the political entity as the only one capable and determined to undertake activities that others have long been unwilling [or unable] to undertake (…).” These statements, viewed together with other messages such as “we will achieve the best result,” “we will win the most seats,” and “all the best candidates are going on the list,” “together constitute continuous electoral promotion of the political entity,” the Central Election Commission concluded.
Taking into account as a mitigating circumstance the fact that the political entity had no previously recorded violations of election rules before this case, the CIK imposed a 3,000 KM fine, as well as an interim measure requiring the removal of the disputed video from social media and notification of the party’s supporters to refrain from promoting the party before the official election campaign begins.
