| Bosnia-Herzegovina CEC and the A-WEB Secretariat Co-hosted Local Elections Observation and Knowledge Sharing Program in Sarajevo |
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| Last updated 2024-10-08 |
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The A-WEB Secretariat and the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) co-hosted an election observation mission and knowledge-sharing program from October 5 to 7, 2024, coinciding with the Local Elections held on October 6.
A total of 24 election officials from eight Eastern European Election Management Bodies (EMBs), including Armenia, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkiye, and BiH, participated in the program.
On October 5, the BiH CEC organized a
briefing where President Dr. Irena Hadziabdic and Dr. Seung Kim made remarks,
followed by an explanatory session on the 2024 Local Elections. A-WEB led a
knowledge-sharing program focusing on BiH’s electoral environment, addressing
complexities from its three major ethnic groups and the CEC’s efforts to
conduct democratic elections.
On October 6, observers visited polling
stations in four municipalities, from opening to closing, as well as the main
counting center. They reported smooth voting procedures at the observed
stations. Notably, BiH piloted new election technology, including voter
authentication and vote scanning, in around 10% of polling stations, which the
observers had the opportunity to witness.
On October 7, A-WEB hosted another knowledge-sharing session covering topics such as a case study on the 2015 Kyrgyz elections, the implications of generative AI in elections, and the role of social media. This was followed by discussions on introducing new technologies and legal aspects of engaging with social media.
The observers also shared their feedback on the conduct of the 2024 Local Elections, offering recommendations to the BiH CEC. The program concluded with a certificate ceremony recognizing the participants’ contributions. |
