CEC Holds Press Conference: We Call on Political Entities to Conduct a Fair Campaign, Not to Escalate Tensions

(Patria) - The election campaign for the upcoming local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina officially begins on Friday, September 6, and will last until October 5, when the election silence begins.

Irena Hadžiabdić, president of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH, stated at today's conference in Sarajevo that the election campaign will last until October 5, 7 AM, and that during the 30 days of the election campaign, political entities will be able to inform voters and the public about their programs and candidates for the upcoming local elections in a manner prescribed by law.

- All political entities have complete freedom to conduct election activities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina during the election campaign, and the competent authorities are obliged to ensure freedom of movement for candidates and their supporters, voters, and equal treatment of political entities in their requests to use public places and public facilities for campaign purposes - said Hadžiabdić.

She added that political entities have the right to conduct their election campaign in a peaceful environment, organize and hold public gatherings, freely express their views to gain voter support, and print and distribute posters and other election materials related to the election campaign.

- Political entities are obliged to ensure equal promotion of candidates of both genders in media appearances, public gatherings, and other forms of election campaign - added the president of the CEC of BiH.

Threatening supporters of other political entities or preventing journalists from performing their duties in accordance with professional and electoral rules is not allowed.

It is also not allowed to promise monetary rewards or other material benefits in order to gain voter support.

- Hate speech, discrimination, violence, or incitement of fear and hostility, or the publication of images, symbols, audio and video content, and SMS messages of such content via internet communications is strictly prohibited. I emphasize that political entities are prohibited from disseminating false information that could jeopardize the integrity of the election process and mislead voters. The Central Election Commission has the authority to impose fines of up to 30,000 convertible marks - added Hadžiabdić.

She pointed out that funds for financing the election campaign are received and spent exclusively through a special account for financing election campaign costs, about which "political entities in these elections are obliged for the first time to submit a report three days before the elections, and the Central Election Commission will present these reports to the public three days after the elections".

"Media in BiH will follow election activities fairly, professionally, and competently, with consistent adherence to the journalistic code. In electronic media broadcasts, no political entity can have a privileged position over another political entity," said the president of the CEC of BiH and continued:

- We call on political entities to refrain from statements that escalate tensions during the election campaign, to conduct a fair election campaign, and we call on you, media representatives and voters, to also contribute to the campaign and the entire election process taking place in a democratic environment.

The CEC of BiH has certified a total of 296 political entities for the local elections, including 110 political parties, 58 coalitions, 76 independent candidates, and 43 independent candidates of national minorities, and nine lists of independent candidates.

A total of 26,089 candidates have been certified, of which 25,703 candidates are for municipal assemblies. Regarding candidates for mayors or city mayors, there were 386 candidates, of which 29 were women.

A total of 3,400,204 voters are registered in the voter list, of which 44,789 citizens are registered to vote from outside Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Hadžiabdić added that the biggest challenge, besides the innovations for the preparation of these elections, is the large number of complaints.

- Until yesterday, the Central Election Commission had received 1,444 complaints, of which 482 are still being processed. These are complaints regarding premature campaigning, paid political advertising, misuse of public resources... Elections are an exercise in democracy, but also an exercise in patience and hard work. There are many challenges in this short period for the implementation of a large number of innovations. We, respecting the law, are always looking for creative solutions. Whether we have succeeded in this will be assessed by all of us together when we complete this task - said Hadžiabdić.