Bosnia-Herzegovina is one of those rare countries where even election results can be interpreted in different ways. In recent local elections held on October 2, all parties declared themselves winners, even political parties with clear signs of decreasing political strength.

The political reality, however, is quite different; this could be seen by looking at the low voter turnout: less than half of the adult population voted. Ordinary people in Bosnia-Herzegovina are sick of politics, or, to be more precise, pre-election promises, vague programs and so-called economic projects for jobs and ending the economic crises. It looks as if the harshness of the economy is beginning to take its toll on the people, who have lived for many years with the consequences of war and government policies based on national segregation.

Even though the election campaigns run by the nationalist parties were based on national homogenization, it seems that the poor economy is a more powerful message.

This year’s election campaign once again showed that political parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina did not deliver. Instead of running campaigns that focused on programs that addressed local-level problems, like building roads, schools and hospitals, their messages were based on political issues and on criticizing of their political opponents; they showed a total lack of connection to the people.

Empty slogans showed that every party was just trying to preserve its position and hold on to their voters from the last elections; they campaigned in districts where they already had power. Election results indicate they managed to do just that. Unlike the last elections, however, there were no loud victory celebrations.

The October elections showed another disappointing fact: the Bosnian Diaspora no longer figures as a meaningful electorate bloc. While all parties counted on the votes from the Diaspora in the first elections after the war, this time around the Diaspora was ignored. As a consequence, only 2.7 percent of the adults living outside the country exercised the right to vote.

This information points to another problem: most of the people in the Diaspora no longer see themselves as a part of political community of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They tie their future to the new countries where they live. This is a blow for Bosnia-Herzegovina, since this means that many young people will use their skills and experience in other countries. Even though this is not directly related to the elections, it is one of the most painful issues our country needs to face; we need to find the real causes for this situation; we need to look at the country’s general lack of political involvement.

Local elections were, in a way, a test. It is obvious that party logic in Bosnia is to play it safe – a short-sighted or even short-term strategy. If the parties want to preserve their positions in the next ten years, they will have to find new ways of communicating with voters. As times goes by, and war memories begin to fade, economic issues become the priority. If they don’t change their ways, political parties in Bosnia-Herzegovina will begin to lose power. The number of people who voted in the last election sent a clear message.