Does the BiH Parliament have the strength to prevent war criminals from engaging in politics?

The Proposal for the Amendment to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by MP Denis Bećirović, is still in procedure and will be up for parliamentary debate in September, after the parliamentarians' break, Patria writes.

Officially, these amendments have been discussed since April 21, and it is a proposal that amends the Election Law of BiH in a way that prohibits persons convicted of criminal offenses from being elected or appointed to any public office in BiH. 

- No person who: a) has served a sentence imposed by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, b) has served a prison sentence imposed by the Court of BiH, the Court of RS, or the Court of FBiH and the Court of the Brčko District of BiH for serious violations of humanitarian law, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia reviewed his case before arrest and claimed it meets international legal standards, c) has served a prison sentence imposed by a court of another country for serious violations of humanitarian law, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia reviewed his case before arrest and determined it meets international legal standards, cannot be a candidate, nor hold any appointed, elected, or other public office on the territory of BiH - the proposal reads. 

Bećirović stated that the principle of restricting voting rights, i.e., restricting passive voting rights (the right to be elected), has strong arguments in a country like BiH. The main reason for adopting this law is the fact that BiH suffered enormous casualties and genocide, and that convicted war criminals, after serving their sentences, become free people who enjoy all rights, including voting rights, and even run for office and get elected.

Whether the BiH Parliament has the strength to finally change this matter will be seen on September 6, when the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH convenes.