Attempts from Sarajevo to impose a president on the citizens of Srpska are ongoing.
Instead of respecting the confirmation by the National Assembly that Milorad Dodik remains the President of Republika Srpska in full capacity, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH is now trying to appoint chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of polling boards for early presidential elections, which Srpska has clearly rejected.
At the same time, they are calling on Christian Schmidt – the main culprit for the crisis in BiH – to help them implement the imposed law that foresees the introduction of new election technologies.
The CEC unanimously “preliminarily” appointed 4,453 candidates who had previously worked in polling boards during past local elections, including 83 from the Federation.
They assure these people that this time they will not have to worry about unpaid fees, unlike in some municipalities where they still haven’t received any compensation for their work in previous elections.
CEC member Željko Bakalar stated:
“To avoid any fear that people won’t be paid, it’s important to say that this time payments should not be in question, and we want to encourage them to take on their duties after being appointed.”
Member Vlado Rogić added that all preparations will be carried out on time:
“I hope all candidates we listed and who will be notified will respond promptly, without waiting until the last deadline, so that we can complete preparations within the set timeframe.”
However, former CEC president Branko Petrić criticized the move:
“They are improvising, appointing people from past elections without knowing who they are, what they can do, or even if they are still available. This is nothing but improvisation.”
The CEC is also struggling with Schmidt’s imposed decisions, admitting that they don’t know how to implement them. They’ve been given a series of new competencies along with new problems—workload is piling up, staff is lacking, and even the much-desired “new election technologies” could be jeopardized.
CEC member Suad Arnautović admitted:
“Our last appeal was even to Christian Schmidt, asking him to get involved since he had promised to help resolve this issue.”
For SNSD, the latest moves of the CEC are nothing but a continuation of persecution against the Serb people in coordination with Christian Schmidt.
Sanja Vulić, head of the SNSD caucus in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, said:
“None of this surprises us. They are allies of one of the biggest occupiers in post-Dayton BiH, someone who is destroying this country and who does not wish well to any nation here. Let them carry on if they wish. We, the Serb people, will continue to fight for our rights and for the survival of Republika Srpska.”
From Republika Srpska comes yet another reminder of the decision of the National Assembly not to recognize Christian Schmidt or his decisions—emphasizing that he unlawfully presents himself as high representative, without being appointed under Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, nor confirmed by the UN Security Council.
Source: RTRS
