(AGENPARL) – Mon 09 February 2026 Image
PRESS RELEASE
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref. CG006(2026)
Repeat Elections in Republika Srpska well-organised but electoral integrity needs to be strengthened, say Council of Europe Congress observers
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is the political assembly representing local and regional governments across the 46 member States, responsible for promoting and monitoring local democracy.
09/02/2026, Sarajevo – “The Central Election Commission’s efforts to investigate cases of voter impersonation and breaches of integrity in the counting procedures last November, as well as its decision to repeat elections and replace all electoral staff in affected polling stations was a positive step towards more electoral integrity. We found however that such irregularities were facilitated by an outdated register of voters. We therefore reaffirm the Congress’ long-standing recommendation to ensure the accuracy of voters list. In light of the 2026 general elections, these efforts should now be treated as a key priority.
“Although improvements were made to the procedure to appoint presidents and vice presidents of polling stations, the politicisation of electoral boards also remained problematic and should be addressed to ensure their independence and further prevent irregularities.
“Furthermore, the repeat elections were held under a period of electoral silence, as foreseen by the law, which was mostly respected by the candidates. The pre-election period was however marred by a regrettable number of allegations of vote buying and misuse of local public resources in favour of the ruling party in the three main municipalities where voting took place. The presence of numerous groups outside the polling stations reinforced our delegation’s concerns of coordinated actions.
“Ultimately, political parties bear a crucial responsibility to reinforce electoral integrity, safeguard democratic processes and put an end to any attempt at electoral malpractice. The citizens of Republika Srpska deserve to have confidence in their institutions and their needs genuinely reflected in free and fair electoral processes.”
Prior to the on-site mission, the delegation held meetings on 6 and 7 February with the Central Election Commission, NGOs and representatives of the international community. It also held discussions with political parties and candidates running in the repeat elections.
On election day, four Congress teams visited more than 45 polling stations from opening to closing and counting. Overall, the delegation observed a calm and well-organised election day despite the short timeframe to organise the repeat elections. At the same time, the teams regretted the constant and intimidating presence of groups of men in the vicinity of a number of polling stations and some persistent irregularities, related to family and assisted voting, predominantly in rural areas. Some inconsistencies were noted, on the sealing of ballot boxes, accessibility of polling stations and rushed opening or counting procedures, underlining the need for additional training.
In addition, the requirement for all observers, international, domestic and party representatives, to rely solely on observers accredited for the November elections, resulted in fewer observers deployed and limited opportunities for meaningful observation in all locations.
Further to the Congress mission, a draft recommendation on the overall mission will be discussed at the Congress session in October 2026 in Strasbourg (France).
In November, the Congress delegation found that the elections were generally well-organised, despite some irregularities. However, it noted that the campaign was marked by an uneven playing field, polarisation and inflammatory rhetoric, failing to address real issues facing citizens.
Observing local and regional elections is one of the statutory activities of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. This activity complements the political monitoring of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which constitutes the cornerstone of local and regional democracy in Europe. It contributes to ensuring the integrity of elections and building voters’ confidence at grassroots’ level. Since 1990, the Congress has conducted about 120 election observation missions in some of the 46 Council of Europe member states and beyond.
Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, the Congress brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.
President of the Congress: Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden, SOC/G/PD).
Political groups: Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats (SOC/G/PD), Group of the European Peoples Party (EPP/CCE), Independent Liberal and Democratic Group (ILDG), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).
______________________
Council of Europe/Conseil de l’Europe, Avenue de l’Europe, Strasbourg, . 67000 France