The campaign for the upcoming local elections, scheduled for October 6 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will officially begin tomorrow. On this occasion, the Central Election Commission (CIK) of Bosnia and Herzegovina addressed the public to outline the prohibitions during the campaign and introduce new rules for political entities participating in the elections.

According to CIK President Irena Hadziabdic, political entities and individuals involved in election administration are prohibited from carrying weapons at campaign rallies, disrupting rallies of other political entities, threatening supporters of other political entities, preventing journalists from doing their job, promising monetary rewards or material benefits to supporters in exchange for votes, encouraging people without voting rights to vote, inciting voters to vote multiple times or on behalf of others, and exploiting children for political purposes.

“Certain prohibitions apply to the entire election process, such as hate speech. Speech that incites hatred, discrimination, violence, or causes fear and hostility, as well as the publication of such content, is strictly prohibited. Political entities are also banned from spreading false information that could jeopardize the integrity of the electoral process and misinform voters. CIK is authorized to issue fines of up to 30,000 KM, and for more severe violations, it can remove candidates from the list or even disqualify political entities from participating. The severity of the punishment depends on the frequency and seriousness of the violations,” Hadziabdic stated.

She also mentioned that campaign costs for political campaigns are calculated based on the number of voters in the electoral units where political entities have submitted candidate lists. Funds for financing must be received exclusively through a designated account, and for the first time in these elections, political entities are required to submit a report three days before the election.

Hadziabdic revealed that CIK received 14,044 complaints, of which 482 are still under review. The most common complaints are related to premature campaigning, paid political advertising, misuse of public resources, and voter registration from abroad. So far, 59 fines have been issued, totaling 268,500 KM.

A total of 3,400,204 voters are eligible to vote in the upcoming local elections, with 26,124 candidates running, and 168 political parties having submitted candidate lists.