At session held yesterday, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina unanimously adopted the Draft Framework Budget Document of the Institutions of BiH for the period 2022-2024, which contains a medium-term budget framework of BiH institutions and a preliminary draft budget of BiH institutions for 2022, together with preliminary estimates of expenditures for 2023 and 2024, the Council of Ministers of BiH announced.
“This document follows the Global Framework of Fiscal Balance and Policies in BiH for the same period adopted by the Fiscal Council at the end of March this year, which established the framework for financing BiH institutions for 2022 in the amount of 1,073,600,000 BAM, of which revenue 865,500,000 BAM from indirect taxes, and the rest are own revenues. At the same time, preliminary expenditures of BiH institutions for 2023 in the amount of 1,073,900,000 BAM and for 2024 indicative estimates amount to 1,074,100,000 BAM, ” it was stated.
In this way, conditions were created for the Ministry of Finance and Treasury to prepare and submit to the Council of Ministers of BiH for approval the Draft Law on Budget of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and International Obligations of BiH for 2022, for further referral to the Presidency of BiH, which ultimately adopts it.
Funds for the General Elections have not yet been secured, time is running out and the outcome is uncertain. Postponement of the elections is illegal and unacceptable for the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEC BiH), said Suad Arnautovic, CEC President, after a meeting with the head of the OSCE Mission to BiH Kathleen Kavalec and the United States (U.S.) Ambassador to our country Michael Murphy regarding the establishment of the e-Izbori portal.
”The law clearly states that the elections are the first Sunday in October and they will be either on the day set, that is October 2nd, or there will be something else about which we will have to find an answer together,” Suad Arnautovic emphasizes, CEC president.
Huge efforts are being made to compensate for the lack of funds needed by the CEC to conduct the elections. Seven tenders have already been annulled, and people have been hired to work overtime, but it is questionable how long this institution will last such a system of work. If a solution is found, voters will decide in October who will run the state, entities, and cantons for the next four years. The American ambassador says that timely, fair, and transparent elections are the foundation of democracy.
Since January 2022, with the support of the U.S. Government, the OSCE Mission has been implementing a project to support the CEC, which includes the development of a software solution that will enable online registration of voters who vote by mail, as well as online registration of political parties, candidates, and election observers.
“These applications will significantly reduce the risk of election theft that occurs when voting by mail. Prevent human error, reduce costs, and at the same time ensure transparency of the election process,” said the head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Kathleen Kavalec.
Applications for the registration of voters and candidates are in function, all that remains is for the institutions to become operational, which will finally provide the money to hold the General Elections. That is why the interlocutors once again called on the Council of Ministers to convene an urgent session and enable the elections to be held on time, Federalna writes.
