CEC to file charges against polling station committees

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Central Election Commission will, within seven days, file charges with competent prosecutor's offices in BiH against members of polling station committees at polling stations suspected of criminal offenses in the recent local elections.

This was proposed by CEC member Vanja Bjelica Prutina and supported by other members. In fact, the obligation to report suspicions of criminal offenses stems from the Election Law of BiH, and the additional adoption of such a conclusion only strengthens the criminal charges.

– I think we need to set a deadline within which our services, in accordance with Article 6.8 of the Election Law, will file charges against members of polling station committees at polling stations where irregularities have been identified which we believe contain elements of criminal offenses against the electoral right.

I primarily mean polling stations where irregularities were found during the counting of ballots in the City of Mostar, as well as polling stations where irregularities occurred during the voting process.

Some of them relate to voting on behalf of other persons in Doboj and Srebrenica. I believe it is necessary, within the shortest possible time, no longer than seven days, for the services to file charges with all data and evidence related to the mentioned polling stations, to submit the report to the competent prosecutor's office, and for the public to be informed that we have taken all actions in accordance with the Election Law – said Bjelica Pritina at today's session of the CEC BiH.

CEC President Željko Bakalar added that he had already contacted the services preparing the materials, and that for Mostar, some of the charges and evidence are already ready to be sent to the prosecutor's office.

CEC member Vlado Rogić had objections because he believes that such matters should first be discussed at the CEC collegium, so that no one at the session would be presented with a "fait accompli". However, he also agreed with the working conclusion.