Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 26 March, the Office of the High Representative (OHR), an international body that oversees the 1995 peace agreement, used its “Bonn powers” to amend the law in the interests of improving electoral integrity This occurred in a context marked by the attempts from Republika Sprska’s (RS) Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) to block the legislation in December 2023. HDZ said reforms failed to resolve Croat representation, while SNSD insisted on replacing Central Election Commission members before the amendment. The amendments include the digitalisation of the electoral process, barring convicted war criminals from running for office, and enhancing campaign finance transparency to prevent voter manipulation. The OHR provided for a brief grace period for BiH parliamentarians to find a common solution before the legislation enters into force. The changes are planned to be rolled out in general elections scheduled for 2026, and as a pilot, subject to technological capacity, in local elections in October 2024.

EU Elections Legislature Electoral Reform SDG16

On 16 February, Parliament adopted reforms aimed at preventing organized crime, corruption and terrorism. The law introduces additional reporting and identification requirements for cash transactions exceeding EUR 15,000 (for financial institutions, businesses and regular citizens engaged in certain financial activities). Additionally, the law requires enhanced checks for clients deemed at a risk of money laundering, financing terrorism, or spreading weapons of mass destruction according to specific conditions (such as geographic area, service, or transaction method). The law further broadens the kinds of institutions subject to anti-laundering regulations, and covers cryptocurrency service providers for the first time. It also promotes international cooperation as well as collaboration and information exchange between domestic authorities, including the establishment of a coordination body to oversee implementation of the law and fulfilment of international obligations. The law is a key step towards harmonization with EU regulations and towards opening accession negotiations with the EU, for which a decision from the European Commission is expected in March.

EU Terrorism SDG16 Corruption

The Parliament of the Republika Srpska (RS), the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, approved in its first reading a draft law that proposes to create a special registry of NGOs that receive foreign funding. The legislation passed the first of two planned votes in Parliament on 28 September, with 48 votes in favour and 11 against. The law was proposed by RS President Milorad Dodik in March with the stated goal of “preventing the misuse of non-profit organizations,” according to the Justice Ministry.  As a next step, the draft law will be open to 30 days of public debate before returning to Parliament for a final vote. The draft legislation would require NGOs with certain amounts of foreign funding to register with the government and to comply with administrative and financial reporting rules. It would also block these NGOs from participating in vaguely defined political activities, which could impact their advocacy work. The law could also make activities that seek to influence decision-making punishable offences. The legislation has been criticized by civil society organizations and international organizations, who argue it can be used to silence dissent and discourage freedom of expression.

Milorad Dodik Legislature

The European Court of Human Rights found that territorial and ethnic rules applicable in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)’s state-level elections are discriminatory, violating the general prohibition of discrimination in the European Convention of Human Rights. BiH’s Constitution defines a power-sharing arrangement whereby the three “constituent peoples” (the Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs) are equally represented in the House of Peoples (a parliamentary chamber) and the tripartite presidency. People outside the three dominant ethnic groups are not included in these arrangements and cannot be elected to these institutions. The ruling held that elections are “undemocratic” because they entrench advantages of the main ethnic groups over others. The case was brought by Slaven Kovačević, an adviser to a member of BiH's Presidency who is not affiliated with any ethnic group, who argued he was not genuinely represented in the 2022 elections.

Protests Social Media Gender-Based Violence Accountability