SARAJEVO, 22 January 2021 – The decision of the CEC will help ensure the integrity of the elections and restore citizens’ confidence in election administration. We urge relevant authorities to investigate the reported allegations of electoral fraud promptly.
Our organizations/embassies will continue working with the CEC and other relevant authorities on improving the electoral processes in BiH, to ensure that future elections are in line with relevant international standards, including OSCE/ODIHR’s and GRECO recommendations. To this end, it is important that BiH authorities start working on the necessary amendments to the BiH Election Law, through an open and inclusive process.
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, OHR, and the Embassies of the US and UK in BiH, and the Embassy of Sweden in BiH, as chair of the OSCE, strongly condemn the attack of BiH Presidency Member Dodik against CEC member Vanja Bjelica-Prutina.
Hateful and personal attacks against a member of an independent institution are unacceptable and deserve to be further scrutinized by relevant institutions in BiH as soon as possible.
High-ranking officials have additional obligations to refrain from hateful and offensive language because of their status in society and the serious consequences that could be caused by such rhetoric. Dissatisfaction with institutional decisions need to be addressed through institutional remedies rather than threatening language and personal attacks. We call upon all elected leaders to take responsibility for the task at hand, which is to engage in responsible dialogue and implement election integrity reforms in 2021.
