IFES: Abuse of state resources during election process evident in BiH

BiH, (Patria) - Abuse of state resources (ASR) in elections results in a distinctly unfair advantage for incumbent political parties and candidates, undermines the quality of democracy and the fair distribution of public funds. This is stated in the study "Research and Assessment of Abuse of State Resources - Bosnia and Herzegovina", published in April this year by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The study states that powerful elected and appointed officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) can leverage politicized civil services, politicized public contractors, government communication systems and media, and other in-kind support mechanisms to empower themselves and gain an unfair electoral advantage.

"After elections, politicians can 'repay' favors received during the campaign by providing benefits and employment in the civil service, favoring procurement contracts, and providing other contributions to their supporters. ASR has stood out as a comprehensive challenge during recent elections in BiH and can be both a symptom and a cause of the widespread challenges posed by corruption in the country," the IFES report states, as reported by the Patria agency.

Interlocutors who participated in this assessment are convinced that the public is very aware of ASR. There is a general consensus, however, that more than two decades after the end of the devastating war, the public largely accepts such abuses with resignation in exchange for peace.

The report also states that the Dayton Agreement, which ended the war in 1995, created the country's unique, complicated political and electoral structure that still exists today. This structure creates additional challenges in preventing the abuse of state resources in election campaigns, as the ethnic divisions of society are mirrored in the political system. The electorate is considered predetermined, so parties representing specific ethnic interests cater to their constituencies at the expense of broad or programmatic coalitions. There is little "opposition" willing to advocate against ASR, but in reality, all political actors are both beneficiaries and victims of abuse.