It is not yet known when and how 11 million BAM will be provided for the organization and conduct of the General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are no official announcements about the session of the Council of Ministers, which should, at the request of the Central Election Commission, be provided with a special decision on the funds for financing the elections. As BHT finds out, the state budget for 2022 is in the final phase. The Central Election Commission (CEC) says: If there is no money after May 19, judicial institutions will be informed about everything.
According to the law, the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have fifteen days to provide funds for the general elections. More precisely, until May 19.
Although the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina has repeatedly appealed to the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance of Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide them with funds – to date no response has been received. Only unofficial information BHT received from the state Ministry of Finance that the budget for 2022 is in the final phase and that technical corrections are underway.
Zeljko Bakalar, member of the BiH Central Election Commission:
“According to our information, the budget has more than enough accumulated funds from previous years, and it is only a matter of good will for the Council of Ministers to make such a decision by a special decision in accordance with the law on financing institutions, and to make the funds available to the CEC.”
If the funds are not secured, the Central Election Commission says that the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be informed about everything. OHR and European Union Delegation. They called on the Council of Ministers to fulfill its legal obligation and provide the necessary funds to finance the elections, by making a special decision. Solutions have been proposed in the past to address these issues, such as amendments to the law on the financing of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutions, which provide for the financing of elections even when the budget is not adopted. But these changes were rejected.
Branislav Borenovic, President of the PDP
“Whoever tries to prevent this through some dispute of financial means enters into some kind of serious crime.”
Apart from the lack of funds for the conduct of elections, another problem facing the Central Election Commission is the increase in prices, which could lead to insufficient funds planned in the budget for certain activities, such as procurement of paper, printing ballots, and initiating public procurement procedures. ”
Zeljko Bakalar, member of the BiH Central Election Commission
“Another fact is that there has been a significant increase in market prices, so we fear that the planned funds we are seeking through this budget request of ours may not be enough to cover all actions.”
The current law in force, according to the CEC, enables the decision to fill the House of Peoples of the Federation Parliament. And it is precisely about this that politicians are spearing about changes to the election law on which there is still no consensus. The instruction issued on the basis of the law is in force until the new census, and it is clear that the CEC will not change it.
