By invitation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, ECR Group member Adam Banaszak participated in the Election Observation Mission's recent observation of local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, acting as spokesperson for the Committee of the Regions.

Members of the public went to the polls for the country's local elections on 2 October 2016, electing local mayors and council members. Despite some irregularities and a few violent incidents, polling was largely carried out in a calm and orderly manner, in-line with international standards.
 

Adam Banaszak, mission spokesperson for the EU Committee of the Regions, attended the mission alongside four other CoR members, who together made up a 32 member delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. The group visited around 150 polling stations throughout the country, observing the elections and the work of the Polling Stations Commissions.

Adam Banaszak said: "The EU has an international commitment to strengthening democracy, which was why it was important for members of the Committee of the Regions to attend this Election Observation Mission."

"As a country earmarked for future EU membership, Bosnia and Herzegovina must improve its democracy, human rights and rule of law, in accordance with the EU's enlargement policy and pre-accession instruments. By observing the elections and working with local authorities, I hope we can show our commitment to helping Bosnia and Herzegovina improve in these key areas."

Other findings from the mission include a concern regarding the level of transparency of procedures, particularly with regard to vote counting. The issue of political allegiance is also a problem, as allegiances are often based on ethnic identity and nationalistic attitudes. More responsibilities for local self-government are also crucial for the future.

"I was pleased to see that changes to the electoral system have been implemented, including new procedures such as 'correct counting' in case of doubtful results reported by polling stations, however it is clear that there is still lots of work to do in the future", Mr Banaszak added.

Adam Banaszak will present his report on the mission to CIVEX (Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs) at their next meeting on 24 November 2016.