LOCAL  ELECTIONS  2004
Fair and democratic, with the low voter turnout

The basic characteristic of the local elections held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 2 October 2004 was low level of interest and low voter turnout: out of 2,327,014 registered voters, 45.52% of BiH citizens with the right to vote in Bosnia and Herzegovina turned out to vote at 4057 polling stations in total.

This was the lowest voter turnout since the signing of the Dayton Agreement; this has confirmed the previous estimates predicting insufficient voter motivation, particularly in urban environments and among the youth.

The observers estimate that only 7 to 10% of the population group of up to 30 years of age has used the voting rights. Equally disturbing was the low turnout of voters from abroad. There were just 27,500 of them registered, as compared with 270,000 registered voters from abroad in 2002, and only 15,000 of them have voted this time.

On 2 October 2004, the day of the local elections, the mobile observer teams of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in BiH visited more than 300 polling stations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. The observers registered that there was a significant number of citizens who could not find their names on voter lists and who were thus deprived of their right to vote. Apart from citizens themselves omitting to register on voter lists, the municipal authorities also failed to conduct the registration process in an adequately professional way. As was for example the case at one of the polling stations in the municipality of Banja Luka, the names of deceased people also appeared on the lists. Particularly pronounced was the problem of the voters in absence, who after the last elections most often failed register for these elections. These elections have also shown that it would be necessary finally to conduct the census, which would contribute to bringing the lists of voters in order and enable all those who wish so to use their voting right.

The polling stations were mainly well organized, and the process went on without major problems. However, in several places, like Bihać and Banja Luka /Mejdan/ for example, the members of the election boards were replaced during the very process of elections.

There were also some incidents: for example, at the polling station in Brjestovo – Vranjak (Republika Srpska), the supporters of the SDS and SNSD engaged in a brawl so that the police had to intervene. There were clashes in Modriča, Skugrić and Vranjak, too. In Bratunac, the chair of the election board was assaulted, and in Kozluk the voting was stopped because of disorder. In Višići, near Čapljina, confusion occurred when an accredited observer of a party was prevented from being present during the process of counting of votes. There were also several cases where the campaigning advertisements were displayed within a 50-meter perimeter of the polling stations, as well as cases of noncompliance with the election silence rule.

We did note the presence of party observers at all polling stations, yet however there were almost no observers on the part of the NGO sector, while the international observers were only symbolically present.

The shortcomings and sporadic incidents observed did not have a substantial impact on the results of the elections, so that it might be concluded that the local elections in 2004 were fair and democratic.

Srđan Dizdarević
President of the HC in BiH

No: 01A-10/2004
Sarajevo, 4 October 2004

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