Old problems and modern solutions: technology and the struggle for election integrity in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Publish Date: 2026-02-05 08:29:00
Source Domain: neweasterneurope.eu
Electoral issues in Bosnia remain a key issue in the country’s attempts to adopt wider European standards. While issues concerning corruption persist, there have also been calls to implement technology within voting. If implemented correctly, such changes could help inspire trust in a system mired in uncertainty.
February 5, 2026 –
Suljo Ćorsulić
–
Articles and Commentary
Entrance to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. Photo: Ajdin Kamber / Shutterstock
The night of the snap presidential election in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska was a triumphant one for the SNSD candidate, Siniša Karan. This was even more so for the party leader Milorad Dodik. But for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and its already fragile democracy, it was far less so. The elections followed a series of unprecedented legal developments: the Constitutional Court of BiH struck down several laws adopted in Republika Srpska (RS), while the State Court convicted Milorad Dodik for refusing to implement the decisions of the High Representative (HR), the head of the international body overseeing the peace agreement. The ruling jeopardized Dodik’s ability to continue serving as RS’s president, and a six-year ban from public office was imposed, prompting the Central Election Commission (CIK) to revoke his mandate.
Karan’s narrow victory, with 50.4 per cent of the vote, was quickly labelled “fraud” and “manipulation” by opposition parties. Transparency International reported statistically impossible turnout spikes in certain precincts; pre-filled ballots and altered tally sheets; systematic additions of votes for non-voters; and ballots cast in the names of deceased individuals. All of this has deepened citizens’ mistrust and reinforced the perception of illegitimacy – not only of the electoral system but also of public institutions and political…
