ELECTION CAMPAIGN STARTS

SARAJEVO, SEPTEMBER 4 /SRNA/ - The election campaign has begun in BiH for the general elections and will run until 7:00 a.m. on October 3, when the election silence period comes into effect.

Voters will elect members of the Presidency of BiH, members of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH and the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, the President and Vice-Presidents of Republika Srpska, as well as members of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the FBiH and the assemblies of the 10 cantons in the FBiH. A total of 3,408,517 voters are registered in the Central Voters Register. The Central Election Commission /CEC/ of BiH has called on all political parties and other political subjects, candidates, their supporters and the media to strictly comply with the BiH Election Law, with particular emphasis on the ban on hate speech in the public sphere. "Hate speech is any form of public expression or speech that incites or promotes hatred, discrimination or violence against any person or group of persons based on race, skin colour, nationality, sex or religion, ethnic origin, or any other personal characteristic or orientation that incites discrimination, hostility or violence," the statement said. The CEC of BiH reminds all political subjects that they have the right to conduct their campaigns in a peaceful environment and to organize rallies, and that they are required to ensure equal promotion of male and female candidates in all public and media appearances. The relevant municipal authorities are obliged to ensure equal treatment for political subjects certified to participate in the elections when they request to use public spaces and public facilities for campaign purposes, including holding rallies and displaying advertisements, posters, placards and other similar campaign materials. The CEC said it has the authority to sanction violations of the BiH Election Law by imposing fines, removing candidates from the ballot, and revoking the certification of a political subject. All participants in the electoral process have been called upon to conduct a fair campaign while respecting the law and electoral rules, and the media have been urged to report fairly and professionally on election-related activities in accordance with the journalists' code of ethics.