General Information

Election posters, in the background a Bosniak cemetery in Sarajevo

Dates: 10 – 13 October 2014
Elections: General Elections, 12 October
Where: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mission Coordinators:
Marije Arentze
What does a typical AEGEE EOM look like? see here.
What does an AEGEE Election Observer do? see here.

Summary

The ethnic divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina are frozen into place by the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreements. As a result, the country has a very complicated system of government  (even named the most complicated in the world). European media often depict Bosnia as a corrupt, bankrupt country, torn apart by nationalist tensions and deprived of any hope for a brighter future. Against this background, we set off for Sarajevo.

What we experienced in Bosnia did not match our expectations completely. The democratic system is indeed very complicated and knows certain flaws which need to be improved, but the spirit of the people was good. We were pleasantly susprised by the level dedication and integrity of polling station officials and the transparency of the Central Election Committee. For more general observations, read our press release and article.

The Mission in numbers

Observers: 17
Teams: 8
Nationalities represented: 7
Polling stations visited: 45 (rural and urban)

Map of visited polling stations in Sarajevo and surroundings

 The Election Observation Report