In an interview with today’s Dnevni Avaz, the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, said that the international community, including the EU, is ready to help, but the initiative must come from domestic political actors.
Due to the activation of the Bonn Powers in connection with the “Viaduct” case and the elections in BiH, Schmidt said that nothing has happened with the reforms and that everything is at a standstill because there is no budget.
“That is why I decided to first unblock the budget, and then work on preparations for the elections. Time is running out, and the 2026 elections are already in sight,” he said.
After the local elections in 2024 and the pilot project of scanning ballot papers, the ODIHR and the CEC conducted an analysis that showed that the results were positive.
“This is not about full electronic voting, but about scanning and verification, including fingerprinting, to ensure that only those who are registered vote. Everyone should support this,” Schmidt said.
When asked whether he would be in time for the 2026 elections in BiH as High Representative, he said he could not guarantee it, but the elections also require international input.
He said that the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, especially regarding discrimination, need to be addressed, with possible amendments to the Constitution, which was previously attempted with the April package and the negotiations in Neum.
“The international community together, including the EU, is ready to help, but the initiative must come from domestic political actors. I am ready to help them with that,” he concluded.
Regarding the launch of the new Bonn powers, he said that the goal is not “to rule by decree”, but to encourage domestic institutions to function better, he told Dnevni avaz.
