OSCE/ODIHR opens observation mission for general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, 28 August 2018 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission for the 7 October general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mission’s deployment follows an official invitation from the country’s authorities.

The mission is led by Ambassador Peter Tejler and consists of a core team of 12 election experts, based in Sarajevo, and 22 long-term observers to be deployed in teams of two across the country. In addition, ODIHR will request that OSCE participating States provide 300 short-term observers to monitor proceedings on election day.

The mission will observe the elections for their compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. Observers will closely monitor the voter registration process, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant governmental bodies, election-related legislation and its implementation, and the resolution of election-related disputes. As part of the observation, the mission will also monitor the media coverage of the campaign.

In the course of its observation, the mission will meet with representatives of state and entity authorities, of the election administration and political parties, as well as with individual candidates. It will also meet with representatives of civil society, the media and the international community.

On election day, observers will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots and the tabulation of results. For election day, the ODIHR election observation mission will join efforts with delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

A statement of preliminary findings and conclusions will be issued on the day after the elections. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be published approximately two months after the completion of the electoral process.

The ODIHR Election Observation Mission and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina operate separately under their respective mandates.

For further information please visit https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/bih/389537 or contact Kira Kalinina, Media Analyst of the EOM, on +387 671 301 035 (mobile) or at kira.kalinina@odihr.ba

or

Thomas Rymer, ODIHR Spokesperson, on + 48 609 522 266 (mobile) or at thomas.rymer@odihr.pl.