Agora Election Observation invites young people (between 18 and 35 years old) from all over Europe to sign up as Observers for our upcoming Election Observation Mission to the Bosnian General Election on the 2nd of October 2022.
The mission runs from the 28th of September to the 4th of October and will be deployed in Sarajevo and some other locations around the country. Its purpose is to specifically assess the participation of youth in the electoral process.
The 28th of September and the 4th of October are travel days.
As an independent Observer at the Agora Election Observation Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, successful applicants will receive training, complete specific research assignments, and then follow the voting, counting and tabulation procedures in various locations throughout the country on the day of elections. They will further meet with local, national and international political stakeholders, civil society organisations, and youth representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the days prior to election day.
The observation of elections by independent observers contributes to the transparency of the process and is a valuable instrument of democratic control. The findings of the mission will be compiled into a report to be published after deployment and distributed amongst relevant authorities.
MISSION PROGRAMME
Prior to arrival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, observers will be required to:
- Take an election observation training (online) on the principles and methods of international election observation;
- conduct background research on a specific topic related to the participation, involvement, and engagement of youth in the upcoming elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In Sarajevo, between the 29th and 30th of September, observers will:
- Take part in a briefing on the political situation of the country;
- attend various meetings with local officials, political stakeholders, experts, scholars, and civil society representatives as well as, in particular, with youth organisations and youth activists in the country.
On the 1st of October, observers will:
- Be deployed in different locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
On the 2nd of October (election day), observers will:
- Visit a number of polling stations to observe the opening, voting and closing processes throughout the day, as well as the counting and tabulation processes later that evening.
On the day following election day, observers will:
- Return to Sarajevo to attend a debriefing, and
- discuss and summarise the findings of observations conducted with other observers and the Coordinators.
REQUIREMENTS
To become an international Observer for Agora Election Observation, an applicant must:
- be between 18 and 35 years old;
- have a solid command of English;
- hold no citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Please note that Bosnian nationals are not eligible to apply as international election observers for this mission. However, they can apply to support the mission as Local Coordinators;
- legally reside or hold a Bosnian Visa or other right to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina. Please be advised that Agora Election Observation does not issue visa invitation letters;
- be available from the beginning of September on to participate in an online training course on election observation and to conduct background research on the political situation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as concerns youth;
- be fully available to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina (latest travel day to Sarajevo is the 28th of September and earliest travel day out of Sarajevo is on the 4th of October) and attend the entire deployment from 29th of September to the 3rd of October 2022;
- be able to cover own costs*.
Experience from participating in election monitoring in the applicant’s home country, in a political party, or in non-governmental organisations is desirable, but not required. Other skills, education or experience related to Bosnia and Herzegovina, democracy systems or election observation are considered an asset.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Please fill in this application form. The application deadline is Tuesday, 30th of August at 23:59 CET.
In case of questions, please contact Andreas Martin Speiser, Mission Manager at a.speiser@agoraelectionobservation.org.
Agora Election Observation looks forward to your application.
* In general, our Missions are organised on a 100% voluntary basis and do not involve any remuneration or reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses. Participants are responsible themselves to have adequate health insurance coverage during the EOM. This applies to Coordinators as well as members of the Agora Election Observation team.