The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Pod lupom” informs the public that for the 2024 Local Elections, held today in Fojnica, Kiseljak, Konjic, and Kreševo—previously postponed due to a natural disaster affecting these areas—the Coalition has deployed citizen, non-partisan observers to every third polling station within these constituencies.
Unfortunately, the citizens of these municipalities faced a major tragedy due to the natural disaster. The Coalition acknowledges that, under these new circumstances, elections are not a priority for many. However, legal deadlines require that postponed elections must be held within 30 days of the original election date, which is why the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEC BiH) had to act in accordance with the Election Law of BiH and schedule the elections during this difficult time. Since the elections are being held today, the Coalition has ensured independent election monitoring in these municipalities, continuing its efforts to make the election process transparent and protect the electoral will of the citizens.
In the postponed elections, Pod lupom will monitor the setup and opening of polling stations, the voting process, the closing of polling stations, the vote counting, and the packing of election materials. The Coalition will also observe any potential election irregularities, which will be immediately addressed to ensure the process runs smoothly and in accordance with the law.
Observer Rights Violations
The Coalition’s observers were granted access to almost all polling stations in the municipalities where the elections are being held. However, there were two exceptions: one polling station in Fojnica and one in Konjic. At polling station 114A002 in Fojnica, access to the station was denied to an observer who had a decision of accreditation, but not physical accreditation. After communication with the Municipal Election Commission (MEC) and CEC, a replacement accreditation was issued, and the observer was allowed access. At another polling station, 127A005 in Konjic, an observer was prohibited from attending the pre-opening ballot count, with the explanation that “this is not the practice here.
Pod lupom reminds polling station committees that they are not authorized to conduct polling processes based on their own practices and rules and must strictly follow the Election Law of BiH and the Election Implementation Rules established by CEC BiH, which grant observers the right to effectively monitor the process, including the pre-opening ballot count. It is positive that the observer was granted access following the intervention with the Municipal Election Commission (MEC).
Opening of Polling Stations
Most polling stations opened on time, with 7 opening with a 15-minute delay (3 in Konjic, 2 in Kreševo, and 2 in Kiseljak). Voting secrecy was ensured at all stations.
Minor Issues
The procedures and rules regarding setup and opening were followed at nearly all polling stations, with only minor issues reported in the work of polling station committees. At 4 polling stations (2 in Kiseljak, 1 in Fojnica, and 1 in Konjic), not all polling station committee members were present one hour before the opening of the polling station, as prescribed by the Election Implementation Rules of BiH. Additionally, observers reported that 2 polling stations (1 in Konjic and 1 in Fojnica) were not accessible for persons with disabilities.
The Pod lupom encourages citizens to share their positive or negative election experiences today through the form at https://mojeiskustvo.podlupom.org/. Additionally, citizens can still report election irregularities via the free hotline 080 05 05 05.
The public and media will be informed of the Coalition’s findings regarding the election process in real-time through press releases, which will be published on www.podlupom.org. The press releases are planned for 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
