Bosnia Through The Looking Glass: Why Election Reform Failed to Counterbalance Ethnic Nationalism

While ballots are safely scanned, the violent rhetoric stays the same.

Benjamin Selimotic | October 23, 2026

Upgraded Election Technology Can’t Fix Nationalism’s Ills

Past instances of election tampering undermined public confidence in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s electoral process ahead of the 2026 general election. Ballot stuffing, fraud involving deceased voters and manipulation of poll results in previous elections fostered widespread cynicism among citizens about the integrity of the electoral process.

It wasn’t supposed to be that way. After years of gridlock, the High Representative exercised his so-called Bonn Powers to impose safeguards as part of a new electoral reform system. On October 4, election day, biometric voter identification, ballot scanners and the electronic transmission of results were introduced, while international observers closely monitored their implementation.

Election officials feared that insufficient technical training and limited preparation time for poll workers would undermine the rollout of these new technologies. These challenges, however, have clear and practical solutions.

The deeper problem is far more complicated. The ethnic and nationalist divisions that were intensified during the wars of the 1990s continue to shape Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political landscape. They have significantly influenced political participation and public confidence in democratic institutions. Voter turnout fell to just 42 percent, the lowest since the country’s first post-war elections in 1996.

Understanding why and how the political crises of the 1990s continue to resurface in Bosnia’s post-war elections is more important than ever.

Through the Looking-Glass

One way to examine this crisis is through the lens of Lewis Carroll's twin books, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There”.

In Carroll’s novels, Alice follows the White Rabbit into a world where the rules she thought she knew no longer apply. Then, through a looking-glass, everything familiar to her is reflected back, but not quite as it should be. 

In Bosnia’s case, international actors see an election coming and focus on improving voting mechanics. They see young people exposed to nationalism and respond with civic education initiatives. They see divided communities and fund reconciliation mechanisms. Each response addresses real concerns. All of these endeavors deserve applause, but when the same ethno-natioalism problems keep returning, maybe we should ask whether we are looking at them from the wrong side of the glass.

Case Example: A Country Taught to Reconcile

For more than three decades, partners have funded civic education, youth exchanges, inclusive schooling initiatives, and democratic participatory tools. The reasoning: if the next generation learns together, ethnic divisions will slowly lose their grip. But the uncomfortable truth is that while people are taught to coexist, divisive governance structures remain in tact. 

Take the "two schools under one roof" program. It started as a temporary solution to the post-war displacement of children. In this arrangement, students from different communities were taught in the same physical building but educated separately. As of September 2026, the OSCE described this temporary setup as having become permanent, with no systemic solution in sight. This situation is not due to a lack of understanding; the OSCE's 2018 report identified this practice as the most visible form of discrimination in education. The report recommended political dialogue, curriculum reform, administrative integration, and adherence to court decisions. However, it clearly stated that none of these changes would occur without the commitment of Bosnia's elected leaders.

Eight years later, the arrangement remains.

Nationalism Pays

Why did this temporary education postwar fix become permanent? The crux of the matter is that Bosnia's divisions are not only a matter of memory, but also political economy and money. Politics takes place in a constitutional and electoral system where ethnic representation and territorial identity remain central to winning and keeping power.

In this type of system, mobilizing voters around national identity pays.

This changes the question. If nationalism is primarily an issue of education, then the solution lies in providing better or different education. However, if it is also a rational strategy within a particular institutional framework, then educating citizens without altering the underlying incentives will have limited effectiveness. A teenager may learn in school that collaborating across ethnic lines is valuable, yet still mature into an adult whose political environment favors appeals to ethnic insecurity. Similarly, a voter might reject ethnic hatred but still choose to support an ethnically organized party because that party promises to safeguard the interests of "their" people.

What a Scanner Can't Count

The latest voter technology is another case in point. While a scanner can count ballots efficiently, it cannot diminish the impact of ethnic appeals during elections. Biometric identification can verify a voter's identity, but it cannot motivate politicians to focus on issues like unemployment or agricultural growth instead of communal fear. Although technology alters the mechanics of voting, it does not change the underlying politics. Bosnia faces not just an electoral integrity problem; it also faces a political incentive problem. Addressing the first issue will not necessarily resolve the second.

The 1990s Legacy Youth Carry 

Many Bosnians currently in school or recently graduated, like me, did not experience the war firsthand. It is easy to believe that we can move the country beyond the issues from the 1990s. However, we did not write the Dayton Peace Agreement, design the electoral system, or decide in 2026 that schools should remain segregated. Yet, we are asked to overcome these challenges through dialogue, tolerance, education, and a hope for a better future. 

A good youth exchange program can connect hundreds of students with friends from different communities. However, when they return home, they face ingrained segregation in institutions, biased media, and political campaigns focused on who represents "their" people. This system can easily overpower the lessons and friendships formed in the classroom.

Time alone does not change institutions, nor does education automatically alter incentives.

What Needs to Change

What needs to change? While civic education and reconciliation are much needed, they should not be seen as substitutes for political reform; instead, they should be part of a larger political reform initiative.

First, treat civic education and political reform as a unified project, evaluated alongside reforms to electoral institutions and local governance. Second, prioritize domestic ownership. International actors can identify discrimination and propose solutions, but true integration can occur only when Bosnia's own political leaders take responsibility. Third, consider what the reforms reward, not just whether they are effective. Do they encourage politicians to compete based on public services and economic performance rather than on ethnic identity? Do they undermine the benefits of permanent ethnic mobilization?

These questions are more complex than simply assessing whether a ballot scanner works, but they are the ones that truly matter.

The Hole Is Still There

The international community cannot educate Bosnia out of nationalism any more than Alice could make Wonderland adhere to the rules she brought with her. At some point, we need to stop questioning whether Bosnians have learned the right lessons and start examining whether the system gives them any genuine motivation to act on them.

For thirty years, we have worked at the top of the hole, teaching those at the bottom how to climb out. We have organized workshops, funded exchanges, and modernized the voting process. However, we have rarely questioned why the hole still exists.

While the people of Bosnia continue to learn lessons of peace, a system that does not reward them for overcoming ethno-nationalism limits their progress.