Schmid concerned because the Working Group for Amendments to the Election Law is not working

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Members of the Interdepartmental Working Group for the Amendment of the Election Law of BiH discussed today with the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Helga Maria Schmid and Head of the OSCE Mission in BiH Kathleen Kavalec.

Schmid expressed concern over the fact that due to the current political crisis in BiH, the Interdepartmental Group, expected to propose solutions that will improve the electoral process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has not been working for months. She added that the OSCE, and especially its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), are ready to monitor the implementation of all recommendations that will improve the electoral process, both in terms of changes to electoral legislation, the method of selecting election boards, improving the formation of voter lists, and in the process of electing and democratically recording election results.

Head of the OSCE Mission Kathleen Kavalec emphasized today that citizens have lost trust in the electoral process and that maximum effort should be made to change such a situation. She offered assistance in the intensive work of experts that would result in the desired democratic solutions.

Members of the Interdepartmental Working Group presented their own views on the problems they encounter in their work, emphasizing that they are only a reflection of political disagreements between key political actors and the deep crisis in which Bosnia and Herzegovina finds itself. They simultaneously pointed out that the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where dialogue should be conducted and relaxing solutions adopted through it, are not currently working at full capacity, and this inaction places numerous issues, including electoral legislation, in the background.

Secretary General Schmid expressed today the readiness of the OSCE to continue supporting the development of democratic processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and regarding the electoral process, she also emphasized the possibility of supporting the introduction of new technologies and assistance in the appropriate training of personnel who would, thanks to this technology, service more transparent elections.