Bosnia‑Herzegovina's Oct 2026 election to use tech and ballot order

Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold its general elections on 4 October 2026. For the first time the vote will be conducted with new electoral technologies, including biometric identification of voters and scanning of ballot papers. After scanning, results will be processed electronically, but a manual count of the papers will also be required to verify the outcomes.

The Central Election Commission (CIK) held an electronic draw to determine the order of the 82 political subjects on the ballot. The draw, performed with the random.org service, placed the BHI‑Kasumović Fuad coalition in the first position, followed by HNP and the “Coalition for the State”. Other notable positions include Naša stranka (6), SDS (7), Ćamil Duraković (8) and HDZ BiH (18). The electronic method shortened the procedure dramatically compared with previous manual draws.

Additional reforms for the election include the elimination of fictitious political subjects, a reduction of 45 parties from the previous cycle, and a limitation on preferential voting to a maximum of three candidates per voter. The HDZ BiH presidency expressed concern about insufficient voter information on the new procedures and called for intensified public outreach by the Central Election Commission.