The German government says it has identified attempts by some political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina to undermine the legitimacy of the country’s electoral process and the use of new voting technologies ahead of the 2026 general elections.
The statement was made in an official response from Germany’s Federal Foreign Office to a parliamentary question submitted by Bundestag member Boris Mijatović.
In the response, dated October 1 and signed by State Secretary Bernhard Kotsch, the German government said that free and fair elections are essential to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress toward European Union membership.
“The Federal Government has taken note that there are attempts by political actors to delegitimize the elections and the use of new electoral technologies in advance,” the response said.
The parliamentary inquiry addressed potential electoral manipulation, foreign interference and the political situation in the Republika Srpska entity.
Berlin also called on domestic and foreign political actors to respect Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.
The German government said it supports the OSCE election observation mission and is sending civilian experts to Bosnia and Herzegovina to assist with monitoring the electoral process.
The 2026 elections will also feature broader use of new technologies, including biometric voter identification, ballot-paper scanning and electronic transmission of results.
International observers have previously indicated that they will pay particular attention to potential disinformation and foreign interference during the election period.
Concerns over foreign influence have also emerged after Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Central Election Commission approved accreditation for 20 Russian election observers. According to Radio Free Europe reporting, the group includes Russian Senator Elena Afanaseva, who is under sanctions imposed by the European Union, United States and United Kingdom, as well as former Russian military intelligence officer Aleksey Kondratyev, whom RFE/RL has previously linked to the Russian military system known as Redut.
However, the German government’s response does not identify specific actors allegedly involved in attempts to undermine the elections and does not directly mention Russia.
