Bosnia and Herzegovina prepares for elections with new technology and international observers

Bosnia and Herzegovina is preparing for general elections on October 4, which are expected to feature the widespread implementation of new technologies. The introduction of biometric identification and optical ballot scanners aims to prevent fraud, such as voting in someone else's name or multiple voting, and to accelerate the announcement of results. While the Coalition ‘Pod Lupom’ advocates for these measures to close loopholes used in previous cycles, they have also warned that changes to ballot appearance introduced close to the election could confuse voters and increase the number of invalid votes.

In conjunction with these technological shifts, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has launched an election observation mission. Led by Tana de Zulueta, the mission will include a core team of 13 experts in Sarajevo, 26 long-term observers deployed across the country starting August 28, and potentially over 300 short-term observers. The mission will monitor all stages of the process, including the pre-election campaign, social media activity, campaign financing, and the use of new election technologies, to provide an impartial assessment based on international standards.