The Embassy of the United States of America (USA) recalled that the European Court of Human Rights issued several judgments ordering local political leaders to amend the Dayton Constitution, and the European Union (EU) emphasized that Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot join the EU without it.
The most prominent of those decisions, the US Embassy stated, refers to the three-member Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The United States of America strongly supports the efforts of political leaders in the country to reach the compromises necessary to amend the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to the Presidency in a way that brings it in line with the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. However, it is not possible to do this with the amendments to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Constitutional amendments are needed,” the US Embassy points out.
They note that international legal experts, including the Venice Commission, were unequivocal on this issue during the negotiations on electoral reform in 2021 and 2022.
“This basic legal fact has not been changed,” the US Embassy concluded.
