Under the Magnifying Glass in Prijedor: No Major Irregularities on Election Day

The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections ''Under the Magnifying Glass'' informs the public that on election day in Prijedor, it engaged 116 civil, non-partisan election day observers who will observe the entire
election process at almost all polling stations as well as in the City Election Commission Prijedor. All observers of the Coalition „Under the Magnifying Glass“ were provided with unhindered access to all polling stations to which they were assigned.

Observers of the Coalition „Under the Magnifying Glass“ have so far monitored the arrangement and opening of polling stations, and will continue to monitor the voting process, the closing of polling stations, the vote counting process and election irregularities, and will work in coordination with the Call Center of the Coalition „Under the Magnifying Glass“ to eliminate them so that the election process proceeds smoothly and in accordance with the Election Law of BiH.

Observers of the Coalition „Under the Magnifying Glass“ have so far noted that at 15.7% of observed polling stations in Prijedor, not all members of the polling board complied with the obligation to be present at the polling station at 6:00 AM.

At one polling station (009B100), 39 fewer ballots were received than the number of registered voters at that polling station, which is contrary to the rules. At two polling stations (009B002-A and 009B038), manual counting of ballots was not performed before the opening of the polling station. At nearly half of the polling stations (40.9%) in Prijedor, the list of polling board members was not displayed, while at other polling stations it was displayed but does not show which political entity the polling board members belong to. The Coalition „Under the Magnifying Glass“ emphasizes that it is necessary to publish lists of polling board members with the names of political entities, in order to contribute to the transparency
of the election process and prevent the trading of positions in polling boards. Four polling stations (009B26, 009B29, 009B83, 009B84) in Prijedor were not arranged according to the instructions of the Central Election Commission of BiH on the conduct of election implementation bodies on election day under the conditions of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The secrecy of the vote is ensured at all polling stations in Prijedor, meaning that voting booths are set up in such a way that no one can see who the voter voted for. At all polling stations, the ballot box was shown empty before the opening of the polling stations.

At exactly 7:00 AM, most polling stations were opened, while five polling stations opened with a slight delay of up to 15 minutes.

We call on all citizens of Prijedor to report any election irregularities by calling the toll-free number 080 05 05 05 or via the social networks of the Coalition „Under the Magnifying Glass“.