The US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina has rewarded member and former President of Bosnia’s election authority Vanja Bjelica-Prutina on the occasion of the Women's History Month 2021 for professional leadership despite “personal attacks based on gender and ethnicity.”

Bjelica-Prutina was recognised as one of the women who faced challenges with dignity and stand tall as courageous role models not only for women and girls but for all people in all aspects of society.

“For professionally leading the Central Election Commission and contributing to its mission to organize and implement democratic elections in BiH despite lack of funding, a global pandemic, and personal attacks based on gender and ethnicity and working to strengthen all BiH citizens’ democratic rights through efforts to enhance electoral integrity and transparency,” the embassy said.

We celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth2021 by recognizing #BiH Women of Courage – all of the women honored have faced challenges with dignity and stand tall as courageous role models not only for women and girls but for all people in all aspects of society. pic.twitter.com/whL4G5L0Un

— US Embassy Sarajevo (@USEmbassySJJ) March 9, 2021

Earlier this year, the CEC member was severely criticised by the leader of the SNSD party who, after she voted in favour of the repeat vote in the towns of Srebrenica and Doboj where SNSD won a majority of votes, said she might be a Serb member of the Commission but that “she was married to a Bosniak in Sarajevo.”

The comments sparked reactions in part of the public as well as the strong condemnation by international institutions in BiH, including the one of the US Embassy.