After information appeared that the intention of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Christian Schmidt, to issue a decision ordering the allocation of funds for the BiH General Elections was blocked by Johann Sattler, head of the European Union (EU) delegation to BiH, reactions followed.
Sattler allegedly stated that this would further irritate HDZ leader Dragan Covic.
Political analyst and researcher Jasmin Mujanovic mentioned he spoke with his sources who confirmed this.
”I had quick talks with several of my non-Balkan sources in Brussels who follow the events in the region. They all confirmed the same thing: EU Ambassador to Sarajevo Johann Sattler is preventing the Office of the High Representative (OHR) from using the Bonn powers with the aim of securing funds. Dangerous thing. The connection between Satler and Covic has been rather strange for a long time. Whether Sattler, as David Mcallister, was recruited into the influential network of HDZ, or he mistakenly believes that Covic can be rationalized or as an EU envoy, he is endangering the institutional order of BiH, ” emphasized Mujanovic.
EU MP Thomas Waitz also reacted to this. He addressed the question to Josep Borrell, the head of EU diplomacy.
”What right does our ambassador have to prevent the OHR from securing election financing? Josep Borell, has that been agreed with Brussels? I call on Johann Sattler to unconditionally enable the financing of the elections in BiH,” Waitz said.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH said that they have “information that it is said in international circles that they are comfortable if they receive money in June and July”.
”It’s not like that. We have more than enough arguments for such an approach. Please do not jeopardize the election process, we are not interested in what the text of the election law will be, we are appointed to implement it whatever it is,” explained Suad Aranutovic, CEC president at the session on Thursday, May 19th.
The Minister of Finance and Treasury of BiH, Vjekoslav Bevanda, announced that on Monday he submitted the framework budget document for the period from 2022 to 2024 to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH for adoption. It was confirmed that the session of the Council of Ministers of BiH is scheduled for today and that this document is also on the agenda, Avaz writes.
E.Dz.
