Although HDZ party Finance Minister Vjekoslav Bevanda claims that the information that he blocked the decision on financing the elections is incorrect and malicious, the international community does not agree.
The US Embassy in BiH has made it clear that “it is disappointing that the HDZ BiH has again decided to block funding for the October 2 elections.”
“This is a clear attack on the democratic rights of the people of this country. The word of the party that claims to support BiH’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations while obstructing the election process is: hypocritical!” – stated on the Twitter profile of the US Embassy in BiH.
The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to BiH also called on the HDZ BiH to urgently end the blockade on the financing of elections in BiH.
“HDZ’s blocking of election financing belittles both democracy and the principles they say they stand for. Break the blockade immediately. The elections will be financed and held. There is no doubt, “the EU Delegation to BiH said on its Twitter profile.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR) commented today on claims that the BiH Council of Ministers cannot provide funding for the BiH Central Election Commission (CEC), as such a decision would be illegal.
“The Law on Financing the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina allows the Council of Ministers of BiH to finance expenditures that were not foreseen in the previous budget during the period of temporary financing.
There is no obstacle to the Council of Ministers approving the necessary funds either in terms of regulations or in terms of available funds.
“Furthermore, the law stipulates that funds are allocated in accordance with Article 17 on budget reserves, which refers to the procedure, but not to other aspects of the allocation,” the OHR said.