Strengthening the professionalism of election administration is key to safeguarding the integrity of electoral processes and building public trust in democratic institutions. This was one of the main messages of a round-table discussion on 16 June 2026 in Sarajevo dedicated to establishing a functional Centre for Education within the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The discussion brought together representatives of the CEC, municipal election commissions, the Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and entity judicial and prosecutorial training centres to discuss the next steps in creating a sustainable system for training election administrators and voters.
Opening the event, Central Election Commission member Irena Hadžiabdić presented progress made so far and highlighted the importance of continuous and systematic training in line with recommendations of domestic and international election monitoring bodies.
She thanked the Council of Europe and other international partners for their long-standing support. “Our partnership is not only reflected in individual projects, but shows continuous co-operation,” Hadžiabdić said, adding that the Centre would also require strong support from domestic institutions to fulfil its role.
Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo, Bojana Urumova, stressed that strong systems and institutions depend on skilled and committed people. “It is the people in these structures who need to make sure standards are upheld. We are proud to work with the Central Election Commission on educating administrators and voters to help protect democratic resilience,” Urumova said.
Providing the framework for discussion, Council of Europe experts presented an overview of the electoral process and emerging challenges for election administration, including the introduction of new voting technologies, but also the rising role of artificial intelligence and disinformation.
Despite ongoing challenges and emerging risks, a phased approach is enabling key actors to achieve gradual progress towards establishing systematic education as part of the overall electoral process, said Franck Daeschler, Election Programmes Co-ordinator with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Strengthening democratic resilience and restoring trust in democratic institutions are at the heart of the Secretary General’s call for a New Democratic Pact for Europe. In this context, investing in the skills and knowledge of election administrators is an investment in the integrity and resilience of democracy.
The round-table discussion was organised as part of the Council of Europe project “Supporting transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral practice and processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, funded through voluntary contributions under the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2026-2029.
