CEC members meet with representatives of TI BiH and the 'Under the Magnifying Glass' Coalition

(Patria) - President Suad Arnautović and members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina today held meetings in Sarajevo with representatives of non-governmental organizations Transparency International (TI) BiH and the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections "Under the Magnifying Glass".

The meetings were attended on behalf of TI BiH by Ivana Korajlić, Milena Mastalo and Srđan Traljić, while from the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections "Under the Magnifying Glass" present were Jasmila Pašić, Dario Jovanović and Jelena Tanasković-Mićanović.

Discussions were held on past cooperation as well as future activities.

Readiness was expressed to improve cooperation between the CEC of BiH and the non-governmental sector in the area of oversight of political party financing and election campaign financing.

The need for even more active engagement of Transparency International BiH was emphasized, with the aim of improving the Law on Financing of Political Parties, i.e., the realization of the first of 14 priorities from the European Commission's Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for membership in the European Union.

TI BiH will organize a regional, expert conference in order to arrive at the best solutions applicable in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the exchange of experiences.

Also, a series of trainings for political parties is planned, ensuring support through a project for the development of a new functional application for asset declarations of elected officials, financial reporting and oversight of political party financing, as well as activities aimed at strengthening the capacities of the Central Election Commission of BiH for efficient and timely oversight of political party and election campaign financing.

In the conversation with representatives of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections "Under the Magnifying Glass", opinions were exchanged regarding the organization of training for prosecutors and police officers concerning illegal phenomena in the electoral process, as well as sanctioning pressure on voters and other forms of illegal activity in the electoral process.

The "Under the Magnifying Glass" Coalition will organize a series of activities in the coming period related to electoral reform in BiH.

It was jointly assessed that it is necessary to urgently return the discussion on modalities of electoral reform to the system's institutions.

Cooperation between the Central Election Commission of BiH and these non-governmental organizations was assessed as very good and will continue in the coming period, especially in the period of preparations for the Local Elections in BiH in 2024.