SHADOW OVER ELECTION PROCESS DUE TO CEC OPERATING ON EDGE OF LAW

SARAJEVO, APRIL 5 /SRNA/ - SNSD member of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly Miroslav Vujičić assessed that the BiH Central Election Commission /CEC/ continues to operate on the edge of the law and undermine confidence in the integrity of the electoral process by selecting a bid that is BAM 17 million more expensive for the procurement of modern election technologies.

Vujičić told SRNA that it is incomprehensible that the CEC, despite SNSD’s political reservations about the Banja Luka-based company "Planet Soft", which submitted a lower bid as part of a consortium, opted for an offer that is BAM 17 million more expensive.

"I cannot understand that there is any kind of justification or economic rationale to choose a company that is 17 million more expensive, but there are probably some behind-the-scenes dealings that we will all become aware of when the elections take place," Vujičić assessed.

He explained this position by noting that former high-ranking SNSD official, now an opposition member in Republika Srpska, Igor Radojičić, had been one of the key figures in the management of "Planet Soft", which, he said, raises suspicions of a certain type of influence.

He added that such actions by the CEC only deepen voter distrust and raise suspicions across BiH that this process may also have hidden intentions.

"Whether the hidden intention is election rigging, we cannot rule that out either and time will show whether we are right," Vujičić said.

According to him, concerns are also fueled by information that the selected bidder has contacts with a company that allegedly participated in election rigging in the United States and the Philippines.

"What has been done does not lead to strengthening the integrity of the electoral process, but instead opens new doubts about it," Vujičić concluded.

He expressed hope that a time will come when professionals committed to safeguarding electoral integrity will sit on the CEC, rather than individuals who can choose a company that is BAM 17 million more expensive, funds that could be used to build five schools and much more.

The CEC selected the bid of the company "Smartmatic" for the procurement of equipment for biometric voter identification and ballot scanning, even though it was BAM 17 million more expensive than the offer submitted by "Planet Soft".