Bosnia and Herzegovina election commission orders manual recount

The Central Election Commission (CIK) of Bosnia and Herzegovina has ordered a manual control count of ballots at hundreds of polling stations following the discovery of significant discrepancies. The order targets locations where the number of ballots exceeds the number of recorded voters by more than two percent.

The recount is scheduled to take place at the Main Counting Center in the Zetra facility in Sarajevo. This process will be conducted in the presence of accredited political party observers and election monitors to ensure transparency and determine whether the mismatches resulted from technical errors or other irregularities.

This development follows the introduction of new voting technologies, including optical scanners and biometric identification, intended to speed up processing and reduce fraud. While CIK officials stated that initial technical difficulties were quickly resolved, the manual recount aims to verify the accuracy of the electronic data.

Simultaneously, the final distribution of mandates remains uncertain in several regions, including the Republic of Srpska, as postal, absentee, and mobile team votes are being processed. These remaining votes could shift the balance of power and affect the political standing of various party leaders and candidates.