The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina has announced that “all election commissions, as well as polling station committees, are obliged to act independently and impartially, to respect the Constitution and the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to faithfully and conscientiously perform their assigned duties.”
The CEC stated that “from all members of the election administration, lawful and professional conduct is expected, which is not in the service of political interests and demands, for the lawful preparation, organization, and conduct of the local elections in 2024.”
“We remind that Article 2.9 of the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina, among other things, prescribes the exclusive jurisdiction of the CEC of Bosnia and Herzegovina to coordinate, supervise, and regulate the legality of the work of all election commissions and polling station committees,” the CEC announced.
The statement emphasized that “the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina does not foresee any role for other election commissions in the exercise of the CEC’s powers nor the possibility for this institution to delegate its powers to any other election commission.”
The Government of Republika Srpska announced on Saturday, April 6, that the imposition of amendments to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the self-proclaimed High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina is unacceptable and called on all members of the election implementation bodies from Republika Srpska to resign from their positions.
“Expressing a commitment to the full respect and consistent application of international law, the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Constitution of Republika Srpska, the stance of the Government of Republika Srpska is that laws can only be changed through the parliamentary procedure,” the statement said.
The Government has instructed the Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government to deliver this conclusion to the Association of Municipalities and Cities of Republika Srpska and the bodies of local self-government units.
Source: RTRS
