SARAJEVO, DECEMBER 20 (ONASA) – Ever since its establishment in 2014, the “Under Scrutiny” coalition has been warning about various forms of pressure on voters in Bosnia and Herzegovina through all its activities, and the last survey it published showed that almost 40% respondents stated that they experienced some form of political pressure.
They state that with this campaign they are trying to shed light on the pressures on voters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the forms in which they occur, and help citizens to better understand the pressures on voters and to become more resistant to all forms of pressure and intimidation of voters.
Unfortunately, what we have seen through our long-term work and what is particularly worrying is that many forms of pressure on voters have become common behaviors of political entities participating in election races, which has led to the fact that citizens often view pressure on voters as regular party activities. This is precisely why it is important that we all work to ensure that citizens know how to actively oppose pressure on voters. – said Jelena Tanasković Mićanović, coordinator for public policies of the “Under the Scrutiny” Coalition.
The Coalition “Under Scrutiny” states that it is sometimes difficult for citizens to resist pressure on voters, especially considering that political pressures in Bosnia and Herzegovina come from different sources. Citizens mostly experience pressure on voters from their friends and/or acquaintances, then party activists at work, party activists on social networks, then family members, party officials in influential positions, and superiors at work.
Also, when looking at the bigger picture, it is clear that citizens are often victims of manipulation by the ruling and other political parties and their leaders who are trying to maintain or increase their power. This form of voter pressure often results in people voting out of fear or pressure from their community, rather than freely expressing their true political preferences.
Local powerful people also play a significant role in putting pressure on voters. Through corruption, nepotism and abuse of position, they often manipulate electoral processes in order to stay in power or advance a step higher within it. Unfortunately, voters face threats and blackmail that try to influence the outcome of the election race.
The Coalition “Under Scrutiny” states that they started working directly with people who were exposed to voter pressure. They state that one of the best ways to raise awareness about this topic is for citizens to look at specific cases of pressure on voters and in what ways they can be played out. Part of the anonymous stories is already available on the website of the “Under Scrutiny” Coalition.
With the consent of people who experienced pressure on voters and hiding their identity and all information that could endanger them, we started publishing their stories. They are on our website and in the coming period we will continue to publish the stories of citizens. – added Jelena Tanasković-Mićanović.
The “Under Scrutiny” Coalition said that if citizens want to learn more about voter pressures, the “Under Scrutiny” Coalition has published 10 informative and educational videos on its website and YouTube channel that can help identify voter pressures.
We invite all citizens to anonymously share with us their story about the pressure on voters that they experienced. If you were forced to vote for someone you don’t want to vote for, attend party events, gather safe votes for a party or candidate, support and promote a party or candidate on social media, receive gifts or money with instructions on who to vote for, you were promised a job or you had to make a donation to a party. You were exposed to pressure on the voters! – stated Hasan Kamenjaković, PR of the Coalition “Under the Scrutiny”.
Citizens can anonymously share their story about the pressure on voters they experienced through the APPLICATION FORM website at www.podlupom.org, email info@podlupom.org or by calling 080 05 05 05 toll-free, the Coalition announced.