Bosnia and Herzegovina election commission sets voter registration rules for 2026 vote

Bosnia and Herzegovina Central Election Commission voter registration abroad compensation mandates election technology

The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CIK BiH) announced that political parties must submit candidate lists for compensation mandates by 5 August, with verified lists to be published by 20 August. Compensation mandates are intended to correct disproportionalities that arise from the country's divided electoral districts.

CIK also refuted false media claims that a single official controls the registration of voters abroad. It confirmed that registration follows the BiH Election Law, is processed by several officials, and uses the e‑Izbori electronic portal. A receipt from the portal only proves that the request was recorded; it does not guarantee that all legal requirements are met.

For the 2026 general elections, CIK recorded 48 074 voters eligible to vote from abroad and rejected 5 548 applications that did not satisfy the legal criteria. New biometric identification equipment and ballot‑scanning devices are expected by late September, with trial runs beginning on 15 August and mock elections on 11 September. Voter‑list ballots will show party numbers only, requiring voters to first select a party before marking individual candidates.

Entities

Biometric election equipment · Bosnian diaspora voters · Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina · Central Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina · Compensation mandate candidate lists · Irena Hadžiabdić · e‑Izbori electronic registration system

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] Processing of registration applications involves multiple officials within the commissions' secretariats, not a single individual. rtv-hb.com · www.oslobodjenje.ba
[○ 1 SOURCE] First batch of biometric identification equipment and scanners is expected by early August, with final deliveries by 25 September. radiobrcko.ba
[○ 1 SOURCE] Test trials of the new voting equipment will begin on 15 August, followed by mock elections on 11 September. radiobrcko.ba
[● 2 SOURCES] The e‑Izbori application enables electronic submission of registration requests, which undergo legal and technical checks before acceptance. rtv-hb.com · www.oslobodjenje.ba
[● 2 SOURCES] The Central Election Commission (SIP) and Central Electoral Commission (CIK) reject false claims about manipulation of overseas voter registration. rtv-hb.com · www.oslobodjenje.ba
[DISPUTED] Bosnia and Herzegovina's general election is scheduled for 4 October 2024. radiobrcko.ba
[● 2 SOURCES] Registration of voters abroad is carried out according to the BiH Election Law and subordinate regulations with defined administrative procedures applied equally to all voters. rtv-hb.com · www.oslobodjenje.ba
[● 2 SOURCES] A confirmation of successful electronic submission only indicates receipt of the request, not automatic fulfillment of all legal requirements. rtv-hb.com · www.oslobodjenje.ba
[○ 1 SOURCE] First biometric identification equipment is expected by early August 2026, with final delivery of scanning devices by 25 September 2026. radiobrcko.ba
[● 3 SOURCES] Registration of voters abroad follows the BiH Election Law and is processed by multiple officials, not a single individual. rtv-hb.com · tvsa.ba · www.oslobodjenje.ba
[○ 1 SOURCE] Verified compensation‑mandate candidate lists will be published by 20 August 2026. bug.ba
[○ 1 SOURCE] Compensation mandates are used to correct disproportionalities caused by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s divided electoral districts. bug.ba