CEC still without funds for elections, Bevanda claims there are not enough funds in the budget reserve

SARAJevo, (Patria) - Due to the fact that the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations of BiH for 2020 has not yet been adopted, and therefore financial resources for the organization and implementation of the 2020 Local Elections have not been secured, the Central Election Commission of BiH, by letter dated 04/30/2020, addressed the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH with a request to secure the necessary financial resources from current reserves.

Today, 05/14/2020, the Central Election Commission of BiH received two letters from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH. In the first letter dated 05/06/2020, it was stated that the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH cannot support the request for the allocation of funds from the current reserve for financing the 2020 Local Elections. This was explained by the fact that the Law on the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations of BiH for 2019 established a budget reserve in the amount of KM 3,428,000 on an annual basis, which is significantly less than the amount needed to finance the 2020 Local Elections.

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH also refers to Article 17, Paragraph (2) of the Law on Financing of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which stipulates that the current reserve can be used to finance urgent expenditures and
programs that are not determined in the budget.

In the letter from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH dated 04/15/2020, which was also received on 05/14/2020, the Central Election Commission of BiH is informed, among other things, that the Law on the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations of BiH was in the process of adoption at the time of drafting that letter.