Sarajevo, 10 October 2014 – General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina to be held on Sunday, 12 October 2014 are conducted for the following levels of government:

• Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
• House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
• House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
• President and Vice President of Republika Srpska,
• National Assembly of Republika Srpska, and
• Cantonal assemblies in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

98 political entities participating in the elections (7,748 candidates, 3,276 women or 42% and males 4,472 or 58%):

• Political parties – 50
• Coalitions – 24
• Independent candidates-24

A total of 518 office holders are to be elected, as follows:

• Presidency of BiH: 3
• Parliament of BiH: Total 42, 28 from FBiH (21 direct and 7 compensatory mandates), and 14 from RS (9 directly and 5 compensatory mandates)
• Parliament of the FBiH: 98 (73 direct and 25 compensatory mandates)
• RS President and Vice-Presidents 3
• RSNA: 83 seats (63 directly and 20 compensatory mandates)
• Canton 1 (Una-Sana Canton): 30
• Canton 2 (Posavina Canton): 21
• Canton 3 (Tuzla Canton): 35
• Canton 4 (Zenica-Doboj Canton): 35
• Canton 5 (Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde): 25
• Canton 6 (Central Bosnia Canton): 30
• Canton 7 (Herzegovina-Neretva Canton): 30
• Canton 8 (West Herzegovina Canton): 23
• Canton 9 (Sarajevo Canton): 35
• Canton 10: 25

Voters:

In Bosnia and Herzegovina in accordance with the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina there are several categories of voters. Voters in BiH are registered passively since 2006. By being issued the CIPS ID card, they are automatically listed on the Central Voters Register. Unfortunately, active voter registration is still valid for voters voting from abroad. Voters who vote in BiH are classified into two categories: voters who cast their ballots at regular polling stations and voters who vote in absence (displaced persons in BiH). The total number of registered voters for 2014 General Elections is 3,278,908.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Polling stations and mobile teams

TOTAL POLLING STATIONS 5401

Regular – 5284

Absentee – 107

In person in municipality of residence from 1991 – 1

Unconfirmed 4

Diplomatic and Consular Offices – 5

A TOTAL OF 270 MOBILE TEAMS WAS SET UP

Election observes

142 municipal/city election commissions have accredited approximately 50,000 observers of political entities (no precise field data yet).

Technical aspects of the election process of relevance for voters

In the eve of the Elections, voters are recommended to check the location of their polling station; by visiting the website of the BiH CEC www.izbori.ba and clicking the link “Are you registered”. Fill out the required information in empty fields (name, surname and personal identification number)

Another way to check is by sending a text message to 091 12 12 12, with a personal identification number in the text message. Messages costs 0.10 BAM + VAT.

And of course the third way to check is to visit the Municipal Centre for Voter Registration and check the location of own polling station.

On Election Day, polling station is open from 07:00 to 19:00.

Upon presenting a valid identification document at a polling station, the voter receives a set of ballots according to the Law.

Secrecy of the ballot is ensured at the polling station.

The secrecy of voting is ensured also for voters who vote via mail.

At their addresses, they have received an envelope with ballots, or specifically, the primary envelope contains instructions on voting, while the second envelope has ballots. For voters voting by mail, after voting, an envelope which contains a copy of one of the valid identification documents and a small envelope with the ballots is to be returned by mail to the Central Election Commission of BiH. It is essential to vote no later than 12 October 2014, that is, that the date on the postal stamp for sending is October 12^th the latest, as the day of the elections in BiH. The votes of voters who vote by mail are counted after verification in the Main Counting Centre in Sarajevo.

PRESS OFFICE