People and Justice: Negotiations on Amendments to the Constitution and Electoral Legislation Should Return to BiH Institutions

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Presidency session of People and Justice was held today in Tuzla, and the conclusions called for negotiations on amendments to the Constitution and the Election Law to return to BiH institutions.

The Presidency of People and Justice, among other things, adopted a conclusion that when it comes to the joint appearance of parties of the pro-Bosnian bloc in the BiH entity of RS, People and Justice emphasizes good will for improving the political participation of pro-Bosnian actors in
the RS.

"At the same time, we express our stance that people who have previously betrayed trust and lost integrity in political life in the RS cannot be credible representatives of this initiative nor credible candidates. The offered documents for an inter-party agreement do not contain principles and guidelines that imply a new, fairer policy towards returnees – People and Justice has clearly presented and submitted its proposal of principles of action at previous meetings, based primarily on transparency, anti-corruption, and what brings improvement to the living conditions of citizens in the RS. Therefore, at the next meeting, People and Justice will offer a revised document to all parties in the negotiations as a basis for an inter-party agreement that will guarantee that promises to returnees will not be betrayed," is one of the conclusions of the NIP Presidency.

In the second conclusion, they condemned the unconstitutional activities of the ruling structures in the RS led by Milorad Dodik through announcements of adopting new laws on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of the RS and a law on the termination of the law on the prohibition of disposing of state property of the RS, which was declared unconstitutional by a decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH, and called on competent domestic and international institutions for timely and adequate interventions.

"We repeat our earlier conclusion that the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a decisive role in resolving the issue not of distribution but of the use of state and other property, and the property remains in the exclusive ownership of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is its sole titular. State property can be given by the state exclusively for management and use to lower levels of government, through the adoption of a state law in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH that will define its use and management, as well as the issue of restitution and denationalization," is the third conclusion of the Presidency of People and Justice.

People and Justice, it is stated in the fourth conclusion, is committed to continuing negotiations on constitutional and electoral reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina with actors who do not undermine the constitutional order of this country, and negotiations that lead to the unblocking of institutions, rejecting maximalist demands of certain parties in the negotiations, which would deepen the ethnic division of the country and would not substantially respect the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. We believe that negotiations need to be returned to the institutions of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support and mediation of international partners.

"Also, we emphasize the previously adopted conclusion that any agreement or accord on constitutional and electoral reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina in which the negotiating team of People and Justice participates, as well as on other processes of essential importance for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, can be signed only with the consent of the governing bodies of People and Justice. We call on the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt the BiH budget without delay, as the most important act for the efficient functioning of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as all other bodies financed from the budget and regulatory bodies. When it comes to the proposed legal solution on the allocation of public revenues in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, People and Justice supports the initiative for a fairer distribution of public revenues, with fair criteria based on detailed professional analyses, which will abolish any form of discrimination and injustice, which will not allow favoring regions that do not respect legal obligations and abuse and avoid the tax collection system, and which will not serve for political punishment of any canton," it is stated in the conclusions of the Presidency of People and Justice.