BS
The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Pod lupom” reported “Volja naroda Srpske – Dr Vlado Đajić” for premature campaigning.
A video clip of Vlado Đajić’s guest appearance on a show on K3 Television was published on the official Facebook profile of the political entity Volja naroda, as well as on the Facebook profile “Simpatizeri doktora Vlade Đajića.” In the appearance, among other things, he announced that he would submit a proposal in the upcoming period for the payout of grants to veterans in the amount of 10,000 or 20,000 KM. Additionally, political messages and expectations for the upcoming elections were conveyed throughout the entire appearance.
The coalition “Pod lupom” considered this a violation of Article 7.1 of the Election Law of BiH, believing it constituted conducting an election campaign during the period of premature, legally prohibited election campaigning. The Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina stipulates that “during the period of premature election campaign, conducting an election campaign in electronic, online, and print media, via social networks, or any form of public advertising of the campaign is prohibited. This prohibition does not apply to organizing lawful official gatherings of authorities and events of political entities for purposes that are not campaigning.”
The Election Law of BiH defines premature campaigning as “any form of campaign activities undertaken by political entities in the period from the announcement of the elections to the period of the official start of the election campaign.” Furthermore, the law defines premature campaigning as “actions and procedures… during which a political entity acquaints voters and the public with its programs and candidates for the upcoming elections in a manner established by law.”
The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina rejected the appeal of “Volja naroda Srpske – Dr Vlado Đajić” and imposed financial penalties for premature campaigning. The political party was fined 4,000 KM, while the candidate Vlado Đajić was fined 3,500 KM.
