Interlocutors of Election Observation Mission fear vote rigging

The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission began its work on September 3, and today they released the interim report of the Election Observation Mission for the general elections on October 12 in BiH. The report covers the period from September 3 to September 22, 2014, reports Patria.

The report stated, among other things, that the Central Election Commission (CEC) heads the election administration at three levels.

- While the CEC generally enjoys public trust, some interlocutors of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission are concerned about the potential abuse of the election process, particularly regarding vote counting. Although polling station committees (PSCs) were formed within the legally prescribed period, the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission has received numerous complaints that candidates are trading positions on polling station committees to ensure representation in areas of particular interest to them - the report states.

The pre-election campaign officially began on September 12, which is noticeable across the country, and the report states that most candidates have focused their pre-election programs on social protection and economic development issues.

The OSCE stated that the media environment in BiH is diverse, but still largely divided along ethnic lines.

- Reliance on marketing revenue in a saturated market makes media susceptible to political pressure and can limit their editorial independence. Accusations of political bias by public broadcasters, as well as political favoritism by private and print media, are frequent. Election bodies have received 80 complaints to date. Although the law provides for the resolution of election disputes through an expedited procedure, it does not provide for public hearings on these cases - the report states.