Newsroom
OSCE Bosnia and Herzegovina Mission rejects criticism of Election Commission
SARAJEVO 8 August 2002
SARAJEVO, 8 August 2002 - The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina rejects the unfounded criticism by the country's union of graphic workers regarding the decision of the Election Commission to award ballot printing for the upcoming elections to an international firm. The decision was taken unanimously after thorough consideration of all bids. The only criterion for assigning the task to Allami from Hungary was the quality of the services offered. It was critical to find an immediate solution after the Election Commission rejected the Zrinksi Company's request for more money, when it had already been awarded the printing contract. Otherwise election timelines, including Election Day itself, would have been seriously jeopardized.
"It was the unanimous decision of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Election Commission that Allami is the only company providing sufficient reliability, not only for printing more than 10 million ballots, but also for the correct and timely sorting and distribution of ballots to over 58,000 individual out-of-country voters and over 3,000 separate polling stations", said Ambassador Dieter Woltmann, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission, in a statement today. "In order not to endanger the election date this was the only reasonable and responsible solution."
Ambassador Woltmann, who is one of seven members of the Election Commission, stressed that the Commission bore collective responsibility for its decisions. "Unjustly, the Election Commission's President, Lidija Korac, is often being singled out by unfounded personalized assumptions and suspicions. The decisions are the result of discussions among seven equals where neither Ms. Korac's vote nor her opinion counts more than those of any other Commission members," he said.
It should be noted that the ballot printing and distribution is not paid by Bosnia and Herzegovina's taxpayers. All money used for this purpose comes from international donations, and as the funds were not channeled through any public budget in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was, under the country's legislation, no need for a public tender. However, the Election Commission decided to invite for a public tender to ensure competitive offers and prices and, in particular, to give Bosnian companies a fair chance to take part in the bidding.
"The Election Commission's fundamental responsibility to provide voters with the best possible elections operations had to be the decisive factor, regrettably but necessarily ranking higher than the legitimate interests of the printing industry of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Ambassador Woltmann said. "I am aware of the serious economic and social situation in the country's printing industry and understand the disappointment of the workers and their unions that this contract could not be awarded to a local company. However, any attempts to suspect the Election Commission and its members of their integrity, unless founded on facts and proof, are highly irresponsible as they may undermine public confidence in the integrity of the whole electoral process."
"It was the unanimous decision of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Election Commission that Allami is the only company providing sufficient reliability, not only for printing more than 10 million ballots, but also for the correct and timely sorting and distribution of ballots to over 58,000 individual out-of-country voters and over 3,000 separate polling stations", said Ambassador Dieter Woltmann, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission, in a statement today. "In order not to endanger the election date this was the only reasonable and responsible solution."
Ambassador Woltmann, who is one of seven members of the Election Commission, stressed that the Commission bore collective responsibility for its decisions. "Unjustly, the Election Commission's President, Lidija Korac, is often being singled out by unfounded personalized assumptions and suspicions. The decisions are the result of discussions among seven equals where neither Ms. Korac's vote nor her opinion counts more than those of any other Commission members," he said.
It should be noted that the ballot printing and distribution is not paid by Bosnia and Herzegovina's taxpayers. All money used for this purpose comes from international donations, and as the funds were not channeled through any public budget in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was, under the country's legislation, no need for a public tender. However, the Election Commission decided to invite for a public tender to ensure competitive offers and prices and, in particular, to give Bosnian companies a fair chance to take part in the bidding.
"The Election Commission's fundamental responsibility to provide voters with the best possible elections operations had to be the decisive factor, regrettably but necessarily ranking higher than the legitimate interests of the printing industry of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Ambassador Woltmann said. "I am aware of the serious economic and social situation in the country's printing industry and understand the disappointment of the workers and their unions that this contract could not be awarded to a local company. However, any attempts to suspect the Election Commission and its members of their integrity, unless founded on facts and proof, are highly irresponsible as they may undermine public confidence in the integrity of the whole electoral process."