CEC: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS ANNULLED AT 136 POLLING STATIONS ACROSS 17 CONSTITUENCIES

SARAJEVO, DECEMBER 24 /SRNA/ – The Central Election Commission /CEC/ of BiH today adopted a decision to annul the early elections for President of Republika Srpska at 136 polling stations in 17 constituencies. The decision is not final and may be appealed.

The early elections were annulled at specific polling stations in Prijedor, Laktaši, Banja Luka, Doboj, Stanari, Lopare, Ugljevik, Osmaci, Vlasenica, Zvornik, Bratunac, Nevesinje, Gacko, Rudo, Bileća, Milići and Brčko. At the CEC session, it was stated that the decision was adopted after numerous irregularities were established, including the fact that 908 voters cast their ballots in the early elections without a valid identification document. "The CEC conducted a procedure of scanning the records of polling board operations and obtained copies of signatures from personal identification documents in order to compare them with signatures on excerpts from the Central Voters Register. Based on these actions, signature forgery was established," it was said at the session. CEC member Vanja Bjelica-Prutina said during the discussion that the decision is based on a properly and fully established factual situation, but stressed that it is not final and may be subject to appeal. She explained that only those polling stations where a forensic expert determined signature forgery were included in the decision to annul the early elections. CEC member Željko Bakalar said that, according to the established results, the difference between the two candidates is around 9,500 votes, while the difference at these 136 polling stations amounts to 15,822 votes. If the decision becomes final following the appeals procedure, the CEC will call repeat elections at the polling stations where the elections were annulled.