Local elections are taking place in Bosnia and Herzegovina this Sunday, and political parties have been ignoring epidemiological measures while organising pre-election rallies despite the coronavirus pandemic taking dozens of lives every day.
On November 15, slightly over 3.2 million of eligible voters will elect new members of 120 municipal councils, municipality heads, new members of 21 city assemblies and the Brcko District assembly as well as mayors.
In Mostar, however, the elections will take place on December 20.
A total of 543 political entities have registered to run in the election, including 129 political parties, 72 coalitions and 262 independent candidates.
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As many as 30,188 persons are running for different positions, and 425 are running for mayor or municipality head.
For the elections to take place, it was necessary to appoint nearly 50,000 members of local polling stations, and the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been having problems with that since the number of those infected with coronavirus or in self-isolation has surged in the last week before the election.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the number of new infections has exceeded 1,400 every day in the week ahead of the elections, and mid-week a record number of 69 deaths was reported, while thousands of infected persons and their contacts are in mandatory isolation.
Political campaigns ignore restrictive measures
In the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina, measures restricting outdoor and indoor gatherings are in place, but political parties have been ignoring them and have been organising pre-election rallies with hundreds of their supporters.
In addition, political parties have allocated more then €3 million for advertising in their campaigns, according to an analysis by Transparency International (TI) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Federation entity Assistant Health Minister Goran Cerkez condemned such behaviour, saying it endangers the health and lives of people and the efforts of health workers who have been working non-stop for eight months.
“It would have been better if you had bought tests, protective equipment, ventilators, instead of holding these kitsch parades,” Cerkez told organisers of such gatherings that have become new infection hotspots.
These local elections are important to political parties not only because of control over local government but also because they are a test of popularity ahead of the general election in two years. This is why they have been ignoring the danger from the epidemic, also resorting to the usual nationalist rhetoric to mobilise their voters.
Representatives of key international organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina called on citizens to exercise their voting right and decide what kind of government they want.
Don't underestimate the power of your vote, the head of the EU Delegation in BiH, Johann Sattler, said in a video message to citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, joined by ambassadors of EU member states accredited to that country.
