OSCE Says Bosnian Elections Competitive but Plagued by Electoral and Political Divisions
Observers said biometric voter checks and ballot scanners improved safeguards, but technical problems and procedural gaps remained at many polling stations.
- On Sunday, October 4, Bosnia and Herzegovina held general elections with international observers reporting an orderly, generally peaceful atmosphere despite a deeply fragmented political landscape.
- Biometric fingerprint scanners and ballot-counting technology were introduced to strengthen voting integrity, though the election occurred against deep-seated wartime divisions and nationalist party dominance.
- Turnout reached about 42%, a 9.5 percentage point decline from 2022 nationwide elections. Nationalist parties SNSD, SDA, and HDZ BiH maintained influence within their respective Serb, Bosniak, and Croat communities.
- The new presidency includes SNSD's Zeljka Cvijanovic, HDZ BiH's Darijana Filipovic, and Social Democrat Denis Becirovic. Milorad Dodik's SNSD party swept Republika Srpska despite his previous sanctions and public office ban.
- Observers emphasized further electoral reform is needed to align with European legal standards. Denis Becirovic urged the European Union to 'Help Bosnia,' stating the region's future lies in adopting the European model rather than the Russian one.
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Predsjednik HDZ-a BiH Dragan Čović će u razgovorima s političkim partnerima about uspostavi vlasti koje je najavio za sljedeći tyledan inzistirati na izmjenama Izbornog zakona kako bi se spriječio izbor hrvatskih političkih predstavnika glasovima birača second nations. Čović […] Objava Čović najavio veliku promjenu Izbornog zakona BiH: “To je prioritet svih prioriteta” pojavila se prvi puta na Novi list.
DRAGAN Čović insists on amending the Election Law in BiH.
For the first time, voters throughout the country were biometrically checked and ballot papers scanned automatically. However, the new technology caused problems at the start: only about half of the polling stations opened on time.
Nationalistic parties have increased significantly in the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
OSCE says Bosnian elections competitive but plagued by electoral and political divisions
Credit: OSCE/ODIHRBosnia and Herzegovina's October 4 elections were genuinely competitive but took place against a deeply fragmented political backdrop and exposed persistent weaknesses in electoral administration, international observers said.
The people of this multi-ethnic state would have liked so much. More support from the EU, for example. Or a new constitution, which makes a policy of blockade difficult. But they can forget this until further notice.
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