Budget for this year being finalized, money for CIK for elections not yet transferred

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - BiH Finance Minister Vjekoslav Bevanda confirmed today after the session of the BiH Council of Ministers that the budget for institutions for 2020 is being finalized, and that additional negotiations are underway with almost a hundred budget users.

After the first draft of the budget for 2020 was sent to the BiH Presidency at the end of April, it was returned to the Ministry of Finance to adapt to the conditions of the pandemic.

Bevanda points out that this is a technical issue and should not be politicized. Earlier, the Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Zoran Tegeltija, announced that the budget would be adopted by May 31, but the new proposal has not yet been sent to the BiH Presidency. An additional problem with the delay in adopting the budget is the financing of the local elections, i.e., the transfer of money to the Central Election Commission. Due to a lack of funds, the CIK could not start the necessary procedures that require additional engagement of people and material-technical resources. The CIK decided that the elections would be held on November 15 instead of October 4, which was met with disapproval from some political parties because they fear that the ultimate intention is not to hold the elections.

Although Tegeltija said that the money for the CIK is not a problem and that it can be transferred from other sources and returned after the budget is adopted, this has not happened yet.