The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Pod lupom” publishes a press release and calls on the Central Election Commission of BiH (BiH CEC) to annul elections at all polling stations at which significant electoral irregularities were determined and to impose sanctions against those responsible for the irregularities.
The process of re-counting of the ballots for the president and vice-president of RS uncovered a numerous irregularities, abuses and wrongdoings. For years, The Coalition “Pod lupom” have been warning the public and competent institutions on these irregularities.
According to the findings generated from the observation of Election Day as well as the Main Counting Center for the 2022 General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, significant irregularities pertaining to differences in the election results determined by recounting, copies of ballots in bags, and the disappearance of some sensitive election materials point towards an organized and conscious committing of criminal acts with the aim to influence the election results.
The aforementioned irregularities may have an impact on election results, especially for the vice-presidents of the RS, as well as on allocation of mandates in parliaments at all levels of government, where is preferential voting for candidates on lists of political entities represented.
The Coalition “Pod lupom” calls on all competent institutions to investigate and sanction all perpetrators who are suspected of having committed a criminal act pertaining to electoral fraud. It is unacceptable that the aforementioned irregularities are documented and proven and nothing has been done to solve the issue. The culture of impunity, which encourages the instigators and perpetrators of electoral fraud, has to stop. The sanctions must be strict. Only in this way is it possible to restore citizens’ trust in elections and strengthen the integrity of the electoral process.
All above mentioned point to the fact that it is necessary to improve electoral process in a technical sense. Future elections in BiH must not be conducted without having in place ballot scanning, electronic voter identification, registration of election results at the level of polling stations, and reforms of Polling Station Committees.
