The President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Joseph Daul said he was deeply concerned about observed undemocratic practices by some political actors in the October general election. The preliminary findings of the International Election Observation Mission led by OSCE are alarming, he added.
“To hold free and fair elections, voters must not be pressured nor influenced and the media must be independent,” Daul said. “Political pressure on pensioners, intimidation of public sector workers, vote buying, the obstacles to the diaspora voting and irregularities with postal voting and the high number of invalid votes are incompatible with democratic standards.”
His statement came following the decision of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to announce the final results of the October 7 general election. Right after the election, many international and local NGO observers reported countless cases of alleged election fraud.
Transparency International even filed criminal charges against Milorad Dodik, the newly elected Serb Presidency member, for threatening workers they would get sacked unless they vote for his party, the nationalist Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), at an election rally.
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Despite EPP’s efforts, no compromise on the necessary electoral law reform could be found, he noted
“The political actors must now all come together and put the will and interests of the people above personal and political interests. This must be done to facilitate free and fair elections in the future.”
Daul further noted that Bosnia cannot move forward nor carry out reforms without functioning governing bodies.
“I expect all political leaders to come together and work constructively to form governments at all levels,” he said.
Daul concluded that reforms are about protecting the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people.
