SARAJEVO, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of ten political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) signed a cooperation protocol here on Friday for fairness in the upcoming general election.

BiH Central Election Commission announced on Tuesday that BiH's next general election is to be held on Oct. 7, 2018.

By signing the protocol, BiH major parties vow to mutually protect the rights and to advocate for equal treatment of all participants in the electoral process, including non-signatories.

The special emphasis in the protocol is put on its aim to prevent the manipulation of voters' will before, during and after the elections, and to disable bias or discrimination of political subjects in the electoral process.

The protocol will assist to BiH political parties in reaching the agreement regarding electoral reform, which will allow the general election to be smoothly implemented.

Earlier this month, European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn urged BiH political leaders to reach an agreement regarding electoral reform in order to hold unobstructed elections.