The Coalition "Pod lupom," which monitors local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has called on the Central Election Commission (CIK) to start imposing stricter penalties for campaign violations and misuse of public resources. The coalition highlighted that CIK's interpretation of election law is too narrow, leading to minimal penalties that fail to deter repeat offenders.

Out of 393 complaints submitted to CIK, sanctions were issued in only 59 cases, with an average fine of just 3,750 BAM, far below the maximum possible fines. The coalition noted that two-thirds of all violations were committed by just ten political parties, urging CIK to take stronger action to ensure fairness in the election process.

“Pod lupom” reported 273 election irregularities in the first three weeks of their observation mission, with the majority involving misuse of public resources and premature campaigning. They emphasized the need for CIK to act decisively to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.