At the invitation of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe deployed a mission to observe the early presidential elections held on 23 November 2025 in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Congress mission was led by Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE) and involved 16 Congress observers from 14 countries including 12 Congress members, one expert and the Secretariat.
The deployment on election day was preceded by meetings on 21 and 22 November 2025 in Sarajevo and Banja Luka with a wide range of key stakeholders, including the election administration, the Office of the High Representative in Banja Luka, the media, civil society organisations, and candidates and representatives of various political parties. A briefing with the OSCE/ODHIR Election Observation Mission Core Team was organised together with the delegation from the European Parliament. On election day, eight Congress teams were deployed to different areas across Republika Srpska and the Brčko district.
“Politics fail to deliver future for the youth”, Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE) said at the joint press conference with OSCE/ODHIR and the European Parliament on 24 November 2025. “We welcome a generally well-organised election, despite some irregularities. Particularly the authorities should work on the secrecy of vote and accessibility for all. However, we regret that the campaign was marked by polarisation and inflammatory rhetoric and did not address the real issues facing the people. The lack of clear political programmes, an uneven level playing field, notably on public campaign financing, and a muted campaign contributed to disillusionment and led to a low turnout, especially among young people. Every election should connect with all citizens, focusing on their needs and aspiration, not on deepening divisions”.
“We welcome the fact that the early elections, despite initial uncertainty, eventually took place in line with the legal framework and we commend the ability of the under-resourced CEC to work independently under tight timelines. However, we urge the authorities to address some long-standing Congress recommendations notably on sanctioning the misuse of public resources and on the state of the media in Republika Srpska. Some procedural inconsistencies, including on the sealing of ballot boxes, also highlighted the need for more comprehensive training”, stated Jimmy Moloney (Ireland, ILDG), Deputy-head of delegation.
The Congress draft report and recommendation will be submitted for adoption at the 50th Congress session in March 2026.
Contact: Congress Communication Unit, tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 38 90
Joint press release with the OSCE/ODIHR
Statement by Bernd Vöhringer
