OHR: Those supporting the referendum are pushing RS into isolation and crisis

The High Representative expresses regret over the fact that the majority of delegates in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska adopted the proposal to organize a referendum on judiciary at the state level and the powers of the High Representative, which goes beyond the scope of the National Assembly of RS, stated the Office of the High Representative in BiH, reports the Patria News Agency.
Asking citizens to vote against essential elements of the Dayton Peace Agreement is irresponsible and shows the readiness of the powerful elite to continue pushing Republika Srpska and BiH even deeper into crisis.

In this regard, the High Representative wishes to remind the public of two key things:

"The Law on the Court of BiH from 2002 and the Law on the Prosecutor's Office of BiH from 2003 were adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, including the votes of MPs from SNSD. Furthermore, the Constitutional Court, which is itself an institution established by the Dayton Agreement, has ruled twice in favor of confirming the legitimacy, constitutionality, and compliance of the Court of BiH with the Dayton Peace Agreement. The OHR would welcome efforts to improve the efficiency of the judiciary at the state level, but emphasizes that any improvements must again be adopted in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, another Dayton institution," the OHR's reaction states.

"The mandate of the High Representative, including his executive powers, was established by Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement and has been confirmed multiple times by the United Nations Security Council, and represents an essential element of the peace agreement," the statement further reads. 

Entity authorities should stop insisting on holding a referendum that violates the General Framework Agreement for Peace and goes beyond their competencies, and instead focus on fulfilling the promises they made to voters to improve living conditions in Republika Srpska, the OHR urges.

As stated yesterday at the meeting of ambassadors of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board member states, the international community retains the necessary instruments to preserve the General Framework Agreement for Peace.