Transparency International on Election Law: Lack of Transparency Leads to Speculation and Tensions

(Patria) - Transparency International BiH (TI BiH) welcomes the intensified efforts of the international community, primarily the United States and the European Union, on the urgently needed reform of election legislation, but the entire process must be transparent, and the public must be informed of the proposed solutions.

Bearing in mind the importance of reforming the entire election legislation, TI BiH emphasizes the need to make all relevant information about the negotiation process available, as well as to include all relevant actors in the process.

The lack of information on specific solutions and the absence of relevant institutional debate on their direction and content opens additional space for speculation, which can undermine the credibility of the process itself, further complicate it, or even lead to the creation of additional tensions.

From the very beginning of the entire process, TI BiH has provided concrete proposals regarding the improvement of election integrity, primarily through ensuring the independence of the election administration, preventing abuses and pressures on voters, in accordance with relevant international recommendations.

However, it is evident that there is neither support nor interest among representatives of the authorities in BiH for reforms and compliance with international standards in terms of establishing integrity, and that the demands of representatives of the ruling political parties are aimed exclusively at preserving or increasing their own control over the electoral process, under the guise of protecting national interests, continuously producing crises.

Bearing this in mind, as well as the fact that only a few months remain until the announcement of the 2022 General Elections, and due to prolonged blockades and blackmail by political leaders, the space for adopting solutions that could represent substantial progress or for ensuring an adequate procedure for their adoption has been narrowed.

Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to take all measures to prevent threatened blockades of the electoral process, but also to ensure significantly stronger oversight through a robust election observation mission at all polling stations, as well as through strengthening the monitoring of the pre-election process and preventing pressure on voters.

This is especially important if one takes into account the irregularities observed during the 2020 Local Elections, as well as the increasingly aggressive political atmosphere and daily threats from the highest officials in BiH.