Municipal Elections, 2 October 2004

In response to an invitation from Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ODIHR deployed an election observation mission for the 2 October 2004 municipal elections.

The upcoming polls will be the first elections fully funded and organized by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first in which mayors are directly elected, the first under the new electoral regime in Mostar, the first direct local elections in Brcko since the war, and the first to implement several new amendments to the election law. Seventy political parties, 18 coalitions, 180 independent candidates, and six lists of independent candidates were certified to run in 142 municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Long-term observation

The election observation mission, headed by Peter Eicher of the United States, consists of 10 international staff based in Sarajevo and 11 long-term observers who will be deployed around Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The mission will assess the election process in terms of its compliance with international standards and commitments for democratic elections and national legislation. It will focus on the election campaign, the legislative framework and its implementation, the administrative preparations, the work of the election administration, the resolution of election-related disputes, and the media situation.

Election day
 
ODIHR has requested 220 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the elections. These observers will be joined by a delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. The short-term observers will be deployed around the country in teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results.

Previous elections

ODIHR observed general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2002.