Minister Bevanda claims he is not preventing the holding of General Elections

(Patria) - The Ministry of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina received a document from the Central Election Commission (CEC) regarding the operational expenditure plan for the first quarter of this year and submitted its opinion, which is in accordance with the Law on Financing Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus the financing of the general elections cannot be prevented as stated in many media outlets.

According to the allegations in the CEC's letter, certain illogicalities and illegalities were observed in the expenditure plan for the first quarter of this year, to which the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina drew attention and
requested this institution to amend the operational plan in order to comply with the law and applicable by-laws regulating this area.

Media reports stating that the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina, headed by Minister Vjekoslav Bevanda, is preventing the financing and even the holding of general elections are far from reality, which is confirmed by Article 11 of the Law on Financing Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

That article, paragraph (5), states:

„During the period of temporary financing, the Council of Ministers may adopt a special decision on expenditures that were not foreseen in the budget from the previous year, provided that the expenditures of the institutions of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, which include expenditures from paragraph (2) of this article, cannot exceed the sum of revenues collected during the period of temporary financing from indirect taxes, own revenues, and transferred funds. Expenditures on this basis are approved in accordance with the provisions of Article 17 of this law, which prescribes the use of the current reserve.“

The CEC, like all other institutions, is obliged to comply with the applicable instructions in planning its expenditures during the period of temporary financing, and the obligation of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina is to
warn through its opinion of any activities that are not in accordance with legal regulations.