Bosnia Elections: Up to the Hour Updates

00:30 The Central Electoral Commission has said it will not have any further information tonight and has scheduled a press conference on Monday at 2pm when they will announce the preliminary results about all the 518 posts that were up for grabs in these elections. What we know so far is that the Bakir Izetbegovic and Dragan Covic appear to have won the Bosniak and Croat seat in the presidency while the race for the Serb seat is still too close to call. On Monday we will also see how various parties did in the Federation and RS assembly as well as the cantonal assemblies. In the following days we will continue our extensive coverage on our dedicated page Bosnia  Elections 2014. As for today, we have come to the end of our live coverage, thank you for following our blog and good night!

00:20 Martin Raguz of HDZ1990, said that when 100 per cent of votes are counted, he will be the winner of the Croat seat in the Presidency, not Dragan Covic.

00:10 Stjepan Mikic, head of Central Electoral Commission said that based on 76.5 per cent of the counted ballots Bakir Izetbegovic, candidate of the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, is leading the race for the  Bosniak seat of the Presidency ahead of Fahrudin Radoncic with a difference of more than 40,000 votes.

Dragan Covic, candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, is leading the race ahead of his opponent Martin Raguz with about 20,000 votes  difference.

For the Serb seat in the presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic has the lead in a tight race with Mladen Ivanic – the difference is only of few thousand votes- but only based on 52 per cent of counted ballots. Thus, the situation could easily change.

23:50 Dragan Covic, president of the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ BiH, and a candidate of that party for the Croat seat in the country’s Presidency, declared victory.

The Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, announced victory of their candidate Mladen Ivanic for the Serb seat in the Presidency.

Photo by Beta

23:45 Bakir Izetbegovic, candidate of the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, declared victory for the Bosniak seat of Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency based on 75 per cent of counted votes. He said he got around 225.000 votes.

He added that the SDA as a party also had success for the state parliament and the Federation entity parliament.

23:35 New data from the Central Elections Commission shows the voter turnout on state level is 54,14 per cent of the electorate. In the Federation the voter turnout was 52.73 per cent while in Republika Srpska 56.49 per cent of the voters cast their ballots.

23:30 Numerous supporters were reported to be arriving in front of the headquarters of the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, who are already celebrating the victory on the general elections held today.

Asim Sarajlic of SDA said that their candidate for the Bosniak member of the Presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, is standing to win his top seat against his main rival Fahrudin Radoncic.

However, Radoncic’s party the Alliance for a Better Future, SBB, claims their leader is ahead of Izetbegovic.

23:00 Emir Suljagic, candidate of the Democratic Front for the Bosniak seat in the Presidency, said that he was third-ranked among the ten candidates but that the party was leading for the state parliament and the parliament of Federation entity.

22:43 Lidija Korac of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, said that their candidate for the Bosniak seat in the country’s Presidency, Bakir Hadziomerovic, was not in the close run and that, according to data the party has, the main race is between Bakir Izetbegovic of the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, and Fahrudin Radoncic of the Alliance for a Better Future, SBB.

Lidija Korac of SDP / sdp.ba

22:35 According to information from HDZ1990, Martin Raguz, candidate for the Croat seat in the Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency from the Croatian Democratic Union 1990, HDZ1990, is leading against his rival Dragan Covic from the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ BiH.

Pero Nikic of the HDZ1990 said that Raguz was leading and that Bosnia and Herzegovina will have a member in the Presidency who will have a double legitimacy meaning among Croats but also among all other citizens.

However, the HDZ BiH said that Dragan Covic was leading in the areas with majority of Croat population.

Nevenko Herceg of HDZ BiH said that they are satisfied in the party with the results and that they expect to celebrate tonight.

21:55 Igor Crnadak of the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, said that according to their data their president Mladen Ivanic, who is running for the Serb member of the Presidency has won 116,000 votes and has a lead of 12,000 votes ahead of his opponent Zeljka Cvijanovic, who has so far won 104,000 votes.

Photo by Milorad Milojevic

21:40 Nebojsa Radmanovic of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, said that the party was satisfied with the turnout.

He added that SNSD had 37 per cent of votes counted. According to SNSD Cvijanovic was leading with 52 per cent against Mladen Ivanic with 47 per cent in the race for the Serb seat of the Bosnian tripartite Presidency. He also said that Milorad Dodik is leading in the race for president of Republika Srpska before his opponent Ognjen Tadic.

21:20 The preliminary results of the elections are expected around midnight.

21:05 Central Electoral Commission says the voter turnout on state level is 50,1 per cent of the electorate. In the Federation the voter turnout was 48,3 per cent while in Republika Srpska 53,2 per cent of the voters cast their ballots. The Commission still does not have the data for Tuzla, Livno and Zvornik so the overall turnout might increase once that information is in, said Stjepan Mikic, head of Central Electoral Commission. The last general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina were held in 2010. Voter turnout in 2010 was 56 per cent.

21:00 Valentin Inzko, High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords, which stopped the 1992-95 war in the country, told Al Jazeera Balkans that the results of the elections will be stained because the rights ruling is still not  respected.
 
He referred to the 2009 Sejdic and Finci ruling by the European Court of Human Rights which ordered Bosnia to change its constitution and allow minorities to run for the top governing posts currently reserved for candidates of the three largest ethnic groups, Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats.  
 
Some EU officials earlier have threatened that the results of the 2014 elections could not be recognized by the international organizations due to the ruling not being implemented but in the past months such a possibility was no longer mentioned.

Photo by OHR

20:45 Numerous voters have complained on social networks that the election observers from various parties at different polling stations asked the election commissions for the names of the voters as they registered to vote, which is illegal.

20:40 Election observers of the Alliance for a Better Future, SBB, the party led by the candidate for the Bosniak member of the Presidency, Fahrudin Radoncic, said they sent more than 50 complaints for irregularities to the Central Electoral Commission.

They said that, for example, in Jablanica there were cases that people with invalid documents were allowed to vote or that in some other polling stations allegedly around 30 unidentified persons voted five to six times with ballots already filled, voting for SDA candidates.

20:20 Election observers of the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, in few polling units in Stari Grad Sarajevo recorded irregularities. They said a number of ballots were missing which increases suspicions of electoral fraud. They said that voters would get a filled ballot which they carry in the polling station, cast them and leave the polling station with the empty ballots.

Photo by Beta

20:10 Social Democratic Party, SDP said that despite the assessment from the Central Elections Commission that there were only minor irregularities, the party has recorded numerous violations of the election process “which casts a shadow of doubt in those polling station and increases suspicions of electoral fraud.”

Lidija Korac of the SDP said there were missing ballots and that the situation at certain polling places could not be amended but would require a new vote. She also said at some polling stations people were casting up to 50 ballots. She also said there were cases of individuals threatening voters with guns.

“Therefore we have reason to question the credibility of the electoral process at least in some parts and therefore also question the results,” Korac said. “We expect the institution to react about these irregularities but not to react in a way they will say that those polling stations would not affect the overall result, but to annul the vote and organise new elections at those polling stations.”

19:55 Dario Jovanovic of the Coalition Pod Lupom which is monitoring the election speaks to Al Jazeera Balkans about the role of social networks in the elections and the irregularities they have recorded during the elections.

19:40 Igor Radojicic of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, currently the ruling party in Repubika Srpska at a press conference and said  that the party is closely following the process of the voting and counting the ballots and that they spotted misleading information on social networks already.

“No one needs too early or false representation of results,” he said, “The final and valid results are only the ones from the Central Electoral Commission.” He said he expected a SNSD victory.

19:30 Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into two entities – the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska – and eight electoral units, three in the Republika Srpska and five in the Federation.

The three Presidency members are elected from the three constituent peoples – one Bosniak, one Serb and one Croat. For the Bosnian State Parliament, citizen will choose 42 representatives, 28 members are elected in the Federation, 14 in the Republika Srpska.
The entity parliament members are also being chosen on the general elections. Voters in the Federation elected 98 members while the ones in Republika Srpska chose 83 representatives to the entity National Assembly. Within the Federation, there are ten cantons each have 21 to 35 seats in their assemblies

In 2010 in the Federation, the Social-democratic party, SDP won 26 per cent while the Party of Democratic Action, SDA,  19.5 per cent of the vote. The largest Bosnian Croat political force was the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, won 11 per cent. A six-party government between SDP, SDA, the Croatian HDZ, the Croatian Democratic Union 1990, the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, and the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, was formed 15 months after the election. In Republika Srpska entity, SNSD won the elections with 43.3 per cent, nearly twice as much as the SDS.

Photo by Beta

19:05 Most of the polling stations were closed at 7pm in the general and presidential elections. As Central Electoral Commission said earlier, the polling stations which were open with delay would extend the voting for the time of the delay.

18:15 High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina Valentin Inzko visited polling stations in Capljina in Herzegovina

“Citizens today have a possibility to decide who will be governing this country in the future,” Inzko said, “I think that it is very important that they go out to elections and invest only four minutes for four years.”

His deputy David M. Robinson visited Mostar many of their representatives visited other towns across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

EU special representative to Bosnia, Peter Sorensen, visited East Sarajevo while there are many other monitors from the EU accredited by the Central Electoral Commission.

Photo by Elvira M. Jukic

17:30 Sarajevo-based Klix news portal published photos of invalid ballots where voters added candidates such as Sherlock Holmes, the football coach Ivica Osim or the current Japanese ambassador to Bosnia, Hideo Yamazaki.

Others wrote lyrics of some popular songs, some of which were by Bosnian Dubioza Kolektiv of Serbian S.A.R.S. about corrupt politicians. 

One had a message which said that it was scrapped by an “university educated citizen”.

Photo by Milorad Milojevic

17:20 By 3 pm 74.000 or 42 per cent of voters in Banja Luka cast their ballot said the head of the city election commission Aleksandar Radeta. He noted that voter turnout was higher than in previous elections.

Banja Luka voters / photo by Milorad Milojevic

17:10 Until 3 pm the monitors of the Coalition Pod Lupom [Under the Magnifying Glass] reported around 30 irregularities which were sorted out with help of CIK.  
 
Some of the technical irregularities reported were allowing voters to vote with invalid documents, casting all of the four ballots that one voter gets at the same time, om the same instead of separate boxes. There were also cases of political posters being around polling stations.  
 
Pod Lupom received more than 120 complaints from citizens which referred to lobbying by the political parties near the polling stations, having dead people on the voting lists, buying votes, distribution of copies of ballots with already marked political subjects and other.

16:55 The turnout until 3pm on state level was 36,6 per cent. In the Federation entity, the turnout was 34.3 per cent while in Republika Srpska it was 40,4 per cent.

16:10 The Agency for Identification Documents, Registers and Data Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina, IDDEEA, said that it is only responsible for technical preparation of the voting lists but that the interior ministries are responsible for the records of voters, following media reports and complaints from election observers about cases of names of dead people being on the lists of voters.

15:40 Candidate of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, for the Serb member of Bosnian tripartite Presidency, Zeljka Cvijanovic cast her ballot.

“This is a big day for people of Republika Srpska,” she said, “I hope that the institutions are formed as soon as possible, that the government is functional, that we don’t have any pause because we had the elections. I  expect that the citizens opt for stable responsible and decisive policies and people who will run such processes.”

Zeljka Cvijanovic cast her ballot / Photo by Eduard Katana

15:10 Milorad Dodik, incumbent President of Republika Srpska cast his ballot and said he expects the election process will be in line with regulations.

“It is important that this day is peacefull and that all that in those ballot boxes is counted and  the nation’s will is determined,” Dodik said, “I expect that these elections will confirm the stability of Republika Srpska.”

“I expect a huge victory for SNSD, for Zeljka Cvijanovic and I expect almost an absolute victory,” Dodik said.

Milorad Dodik / Photo by Milorad Milojevic

14:50 Dario Jovanovic of the Coalition Pod Lupom [Under the Magnifying Glass] that is monitoring the elections said that there were several incidents where their monitors were now allowed to approach the polling station. The Coalition Pod Lupom said that 98,7 per cent of their monitors, who are volunteers, are at the polling stations.

“The Coalition until 10 am received more than 60 complaints by citizens on our phone number and most of them were related to pressures of party activists that people should vote for their candidates,” Jovanovic said.

He also added that there were cases of names of deceased people being on the voting lists while in one polling station in Mostar a case was reported where there was allegedly organized transport of ballots to the station.

Photo by Beta

14:25 Sunday’s election may bring Bosnia some new faces – but it is unlikely to bring new approaches to the country’s ever worsening economic, political and societal crisis. Read Srecko Latal’s analysis Bosnia Approaches Polls With More Fear Than Hope

14:05 Zeljko Komsic, member of the Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, and candidate of the Democratic Front for the State Parliament, cast his ballot in Sarajevo.

Photo Demokratska fronta

13:45 Around 50,000 party monitors are overseeing voting in the 142 municipalities alongside around 6,000 accredited overseers for the Central Electoral Commission.

Photo by Elvira M. Jukic

13:20 Member of the European Parliament from Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, said she hoped European oriented politicians will win in the elections. She told Dnevni avaz daily that she hoped the elections will be fair and democratic and that voter turnout would be high.

“It is necessary that Bosnia and Herzegovina retrieves its credibility..” she said, “I expect that politicians will from now have the responsibility for the country and its citizens.”

Photo by Elvira M. Jukic

13:15 Candidate of the Union for Changes in Republika Srpska for the Serb seat in the tripartite Presidency, Mladen Ivanic, said that he hopes people will decide wisely.

“People of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina decide once in four years on who will be governing,” he said, “I hope they will be in the position to use this opportunity to really decide about the key political processes.”

Mladen Ivanic cast his ballots / Photo by Milorad Milojevic

13:00 Fahrudin Radoncic, candidate for the Bosniak member of the Presidency said after voting that he believes that the people will choose change after suffering and stagnation.

“I expect from the elections spectacular and big changes, pro-Western orientation of the electorate and a chance for new political, energetic and competent forces,” Radoncic said.

Fahrudin Radoncic casting a ballot / Photo: sbb.ba

12:40 Ognjen Tadic, candidate of the opposition bloc Union for Changes running for president of Republika Srpska cast his ballot. He said that he expected changes and that any attempts for election fraud would be punished.

“It is important that we believe in Republika Srpska, that we all go out to vote and in that way show that no party, no individual is above Republika Srpska,” he said adding that the high voter turnout is sign of changes to come.

Ognjen Tadic casts his ballot / photo by: Milorad Milojevic

12:20 The President of the State Electoral Commission Stjepan Mikic said at a press conference at noon that the turnout until 11 am was 14.2 per cent on state level. In the Federation entity the turnout was 13 per cent while in Republika Srpska it was 16.2 per cent.

“In comparison with the previous elections in 2010 in the same period until 11 am, the turnout is a bit higher,” he said, “In 2010 it was 13.5 per cent.”

He mentioned a few municipalities with the highest turnout this morning such as Banovici with 32 per cent and Sokolac with 27 per cent.

Mikic said that all of the 5,401 the polling stations were opened so far. He added that a few dozen polling stations were not opened on time at 7 am due to variety of reasons such as a need of re-counting the prepared ballots, members of the elections committee being late or some other technical reasons.

There were only reported minor incidents.

Photo by Elvira M. Jukic

11:00 A total of 518 positions are up for election. Three are seats on the state presidency, 42 are for the state parliament, 98 are for the assembly of the Federation entity, 83 are for the assembly of the Republika Srpska entity and three are for president and vice-presidents of Republika Srpska. There are 35 to 21 seats vacant for each of the Federation entity’s 10 cantonal assemblies.

10:00 Stjepan Mikic president of the State Election Commission says the elections are going relatively well. He said there were delays at some polling stations but no major problems reported.

09:00 The vote comes after a year of political turmoil, violent protests in February and disastrous floods in May.

08:00 A total of 3,278,908 voters are eligible to vote at 5,401 polling stations at home and abroad. They will elect representatives to the state parliament, the assemblies of Bosnia’s two entities, ten cantonal assemblies within one of the entities – the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – the presidency of the other entity – Republika Srpska – and the tripartite state presidency.

Among 98 competing political subjects are 50 political parties, 24 coalitions and 24 independent candidates. A total of 7,748 candidates are standing of whom 42 per cent are women.

Photo by Beta

07:00 Polls opened at 7am on Sunday for voters to cast ballots in the seventh general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the US-brokered Dayton peace agreement ended the 1992-1995 war.