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The Coalition “Pod lupom”, which is conducting a citizens’ non-partisan election observation mission for the 2026 General Elections, has recorded a total of 528 election irregularities during the pre-election period to date. The largest number of irregularities relates to: premature campaigning (206 cases), misuse of public resources (206 cases), irregularities in the formation of polling station committees (18 cases), prohibited campaign activities (17 cases), illegal paid advertising (14 cases), misuse of children for political purposes (12 cases), voter pressure (3 cases), and other election irregularities (30 cases).
To date, the Coalition “Pod lupom” has submitted 101 initiatives to the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEC BiH). Based on initiatives submitted by the Coalition “Pod lupom”, the CEC BiH has so far imposed 17 sanctions on political parties and candidates, amounting to a total of BAM 87,500. – said Hasan Kamenjaković, PR Manager of the Coalition “Pod lupom”.
The Coalition “Pod lupom” paid particular attention to the misuse of public funds and resources, noting that an analysis of cases reported to date indicates the existence of legal gaps and inconsistent sanctioning practices across election cycles, which allow certain irregularities, despite bearing the characteristics of misuse of public resources, to go unpunished.
To date, four initiatives have been rejected, while four cases are currently under consideration. At the same time, the legal team of the Coalition “Pod lupom” is processing additional cases. Of particular concern is the fact that, in some of the rejected cases, the formal status of political actors at the time of the disputed conduct was cited as an obstacle, as they had not yet been certified to participate in the elections. This is particularly evident in cases involving public events, including the opening of playgrounds, infrastructure projects, ceremonial events and donations to schools, attended by politicians or their supporters, even though the events were financed or organised by public institutions or public enterprises, which is prohibited by law. In such cases, sanctions are not imposed due to the formal status of the actors involved.
The inconsistency with previous practice is an additional cause for concern. During the previous election cycle, there were cases in which the presentation of government achievements as successes of a political party resulted in sanctions. In the current election cycle, similar conduct has not resulted in sanctions. It is particularly problematic when a political party presents government activities as party achievements on its social media channels. Using public projects and government achievements as political capital during an election campaign represents an indirect form of buying voter support; however, no sanctions have been imposed for such conduct during the current election cycle. – said Dario Jovanović, Project Manager of the Coalition “Pod lupom”.
Another limitation is the fact that, for certain forms of misuse, only individuals holding executive office or elected mandates can be sanctioned. This creates a gap between the legal definition and the actual actors involved in political promotion, and no sanction has been imposed in a case reported on these grounds either.
The four cases currently under consideration include, among others, the provision of one-off financial assistance to citizens, the presentation of infrastructure projects as achievements of a political party, and the use of premises belonging to public authorities for party activities.
As the election campaign officially begins today, the Coalition “Pod lupom” called on all political actors to respect the law and conduct a peaceful and dignified campaign.
The Coalition “Pod lupom” also called on all citizens to report any observed election irregularities via the toll-free number 080 05 05 05 or through the online reporting form https://neregularnosti.podlupom.org/, including anonymous reports.
The Coalition “Pod lupom” further invited all interested citizens to register as non-partisan election-day observers for these historic elections, which will feature the long-awaited introduction of new electoral technologies. Observer registration is available through the online form https://ukljucise.podlupom.org/ or via the toll-free number listed above.
