The Coalition “Pod Lupom,” which gathers seven nongovernmental organizations, introduced itself today at a press conference in Sarajevo. This Coalition will organize a non-partisan election observation, which will recruit 42 long-term observers and several thousand observers for Election Day.
Through its work, the Coalition will aim to achieve several goals: to raise awareness about election irregularities, to encourage citizens to express their free will, to provide objective and timely reporting on the election process and to make recommendations regarding the reform of electoral legislation.
During the pre-election period, the Coalition will focus its activities on observing the work of the election administration authorities, namely the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the Municipal Election Commissions (MECs). The Coalition will also monitor the process of registering voters and the electoral campaigns and will report and act upon any irregularities that occur during this period. On the Election Day, the Coalition will observe the opening of polling stations, the voting process and the determination of results, as well as the work of the election administration across the country. During the post-election period, the Coalition will observe complaints levied against the election process, the formation of the new government, and will provide recommendations for the improvement of the electoral processes in BiH.
„I invite all adult citizens to join us and apply to become election observers and to contribute to the reduction of irregularities in the election process“, said the project director, Dario Jovanović.
Local non-partisan observers will have a chance to follow all phases of the election process, in a non-partisan way, taking into consideration all political parties, coalitions and candidates.
“Elections should be a ’holiday of democracy,’ and it is in the interest of every observer and citizen for them to be carried out fairly. There is a need for non-partisan election observation due to the irregularities that have occurred in the past. However, the largest responsibility lies with political parties for the elections to be free and fair“, said Vehid Šehić, Chairman of the Coalition.
The Coalition will work from its head office in Sarajevo and seven regional offices, which cover the entire territory of BiH.
The Coalition will begin accepting applications for non-partisan election observers through a free telephone line beginning on July 15.
