Although the CEC was provided by KM 112.5 million for the introduction of new election technologies, whether these technologies were used in the elections in 2026. years that the procedures need to be implemented are not at all simple, and especially political will for BiH’s election law.
Namely, in order for new technologies to be implemented at all, it is necessary to change the BiH Council Law.
“There is a need for amendments to the BiH election law, such as a redesign of the ballot, whether the Feasibility Study is also supported by the problem of the scanner. If manual counting remains, the questionnaires of the scanner is raised, “said the Central Election Commission of BiH in one of the requested issues of the MP of the representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.
The CEC also states that the BiH election law amendment is important from the aspect of the legal basis for the implementation of the tender, as it would be a major problem if the procurement would be made, and the scanners would not support existing legal solutions.
If there is no majority in BiH, there is no majority and that much less things do not have to expect that the BiH election law will be agreed, especially in the election year, in which the election law is not changed.
Furthermore, the problem of introducing new technologies is that there is no cooperation between the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH and the Central Election Commission, because there is a part of 112.5 million KM, which is also given “to the Agency for Identification Documents, Records and Data Exchange (IDDEEA).
“Tender documentation should be prepared. The IT Department almost does not exist, and the knowledge of the election processes are very modested, and the CEC of this procedure must lead to the provisions of the Law on Public Procurement, which is quite rigid and strictly formal”, state in the CEC.
They also emphasize that the preparation of the tender documentation was presented, and to divide this procurement on more than one company, and that the software is obtained, which should be made by the third firm, which would be the process “almost impossible.”
“Given the amount of procurement and political context related to the decision on assurance funds, there are great likely appeals, which is further complicated and moves deadlines for the realization, and in some cases and the need to repeat the entire procedure,” allegations in the CEC. “
When it comes to the deadlines themselves, they say that for the preparation of the tender documentation, it takes 20-30 days, and considering that international procurement should be issued, the application deadline should be 45 days. After that, ten days should be left to appeal, and an additional ten days for evaluation, and for the least so much to obtain the approval of the Attorney’s Office of BiH and concluding the contract.
“The funds became operational only since 21. August 2025. And since then the CEC has the possibility of the procurement plan and the contracting contract could be concluded in late 12. years, with any appeals all this,” they pointed out in the CEC.
One of the problems that will repay the procurement is the fact that no company in the world currently has 6,000 scanners and 6,000 voter identification devices in stock and for a minimum of three to four months from the date of concluding the contract.
“Only after delivery, the software integration, device configuration, the necessary tests, removal of deficiencies begin, and the remaining necessary activities related to the device preparation”, writes in the CEC response.
In addition to all this, the problem will also be the possible storage of goods obtained because devices should be at a temperature of 10 to 27 degrees, with a humidity of 30 to 60 percent. The device for the configuration and preparation of the device is also needed, and the warehouse insurance is a necessary condition.
“It is impossible to build an adequate warehouse in this short time,” they say in the CEC.
A special problem for the introduction of new technologies also represent human resources, and in the CEC pointed out that the last changes to BiH’s election laws are not accompanied by adequate systematization. The new Rulebook on Internal Systematization, its drafting and obtaining the necessary consents have been underway for two years, with this new systematization not covered by new jobs related to the introduction of technologies in the election process.
“With all the above, with any modest resources, work on all necessary jobs related to the introduction of technologies in the election process is impossible,” they say in the CEC.
For the project purposes, it is necessary to ensure, between all other, and 5,300 operators and five percent of spare operators, then “National Call Center” in which there would be 70 pluses, and 90 coordinators that will prepare election devices.
“These figures in themselves speak of the dimensions of the process, the findings of the sufficient number of people, but also to the administrative affairs of the appointments, payment and statistics,” all business processes must be corrected due to the premature elections for the President of the Republika Srpska, writing Independent newspapers.
