The United States is not interfering in the election process and we strongly reject such appalling accusations, said the US Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their latest public statement.

“The United States has demonstrated our dedication and commitment to the people of Bosnia over more than two decades, and yet irresponsible actors continue to drag us into conspiracy theories, unfounded accusations, and, bluntly, lies,” the Embassy said. “During election campaigns, we strongly believe that citizens should have the opportunity to discuss the issues that will determine their and their families’ futures. The public discourse, however, has been entirely dominated by fear-based rhetoric.”

The Embassy finds these things unacceptable, and due to the very poisonous atmosphere and repeated attacks, they said the time has come for them to speak out.

“The U.S. Government and the U.S. Embassy are not the enemies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, its people, or its two entities; we are the friends of every citizen who wants a more positive future for themselves and their families. The real enemies, as we all know, are corruption, unemployment, poor public services like education and healthcare, and self-centred politicians who choose not to address these issues but instead try to turn the United States and other friends of BiH into adversaries,” the Embassy said.

They say that politicians manipulation of the citizens with ceremonious opening of traffic circles, offering free services in hospitals, etc, “are a mockery and insult to citizens in Bosnia.”

“We refuse to be a part of this manipulation,” they stressed.

“The United States is not interfering in the election process and we strongly reject such appalling accusations. We do not back one candidate or one party over another. That said, we do remain deeply committed to supporting credible and transparent elections, and will always call out vote buying, identify theft, and other forms of electoral fraud when we see it,” the US Embassy noted and added that such actions are consistent with their long track record of supporting the rule of law and Bosnia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic integration.