Civil observers at every third polling station in postponed elections

(Patria) - The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections "Under the Magnifying Glass" announced that for the Local Elections held today in Fojnica, Kiseljak, Konjic and Kreševo, which were previously postponed due to a natural disaster that struck these municipalities, it has engaged civil, non-partisan observers at every third polling station in the aforementioned basic electoral units.

Unfortunately, the citizens of the aforementioned municipalities and cities faced a great tragedy due to the natural disaster. The "Under the Magnifying Glass" Coalition states that they are aware that in these new circumstances, elections are not a priority for many.

On the other hand, legal deadlines stipulate that postponed elections must be held within 30 days from the date set for regular elections, which is why the Central Election Commission of BiH had to act in accordance with the Election Law of BiH and make a decision on holding them in this extremely difficult period.

Given that the elections are being held today, the "Under the Magnifying Glass" Coalition has ensured independent election observation in these municipalities and cities, continuing to work towards making the electoral process transparent and protecting the electoral will of the citizens.

For the postponed elections, "Under the Magnifying Glass" will monitor the arrangement and opening of polling stations, the voting process, the closing of polling stations, the counting of votes, as well as the process of packing election materials.

All potential electoral irregularities will also be monitored and efforts will be made to rectify them immediately so that the electoral process proceeds smoothly and in accordance with the Law.

Violations of observer rights

Observers of the "Under the Magnifying Glass" Coalition had unimpeded access to almost all polling stations in the basic electoral units where elections are being held.

The exceptions are two polling stations, one in Fojnica and one in Konjic.

At polling station 114A002 in Fojnica, an observer was denied access to the polling station with the Decision on Accreditation, without accreditation. After communication with the Election Commission of the Basic Unit and the Central Election Commission, the observer was issued a replacement accreditation and then gained access to the polling station.

At another polling station, 127A005 in Konjic, an observer was prohibited from attending the counting of received ballots before the polling station opened, with the explanation that "this is not the practice here".

The "Under the Magnifying Glass" Coalition warns polling station committees that they are not authorized to conduct processes at the polling station based on their practices and rules, and that they must work exclusively according to the Election Law of BiH, which allows the observer effective observation of the electoral process, including the counting of received ballots, as well as according to the Rulebook on the Implementation of Elections in BiH, established by the Central Election Commission of BiH.

It is positive that the observer was subsequently granted access after intervention with the City Election Commission.

Opening of polling stations

Most polling stations opened on time, while 7 polling stations opened with a slight delay of up to 15 minutes (3 in Konjic, 2 in Kreševo, and 2 in Kiseljak). Voting secrecy was ensured at all polling stations.

At almost all polling stations, the procedures and rules related to the arrangement and opening of polling stations were followed, with minor omissions in the work of the polling station committees.

Not all members of the polling station committees were present at the polling station one hour before its opening at 4 polling stations (2 in Kiseljak, 1 in Fojnica, and 1 in Konjic), as stipulated by the Rulebook on the Implementation of Elections in BiH.

Also, observers reported that 2 polling stations (1 in Konjic and 1 in Fojnica) are not accessible to persons with disabilities.

The "Under the Magnifying Glass" Coalition invited citizens to share all their positive or negative experiences from the elections with them today via the form https://mojeiskustvo.podlupom.org/.

Furthermore, citizens can continue to report all electoral irregularities via the free phone number 080 05 05 05.

The public and media will be informed about the findings of the "Under the Magnifying Glass" Coalition in real-time regarding the electoral process for the postponed elections through press releases that will be published on www.podlupom.org.

The next press releases are scheduled for 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM.