Constitutional Court of BiH incompetent to assess constitutionality of CIK's instructions

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared itself incompetent today to assess the constitutionality of the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina's instructions on the method of allocating mandates in the House of Peoples of the Federation of BiH Parliament.

The appeal challenged the act adopted by the BiH CEC on December 18 last year, which stipulated that the 2013 population census and the 1/1/1 principle would be used when filling the House of Peoples of the Federal Parliament, meaning that at least one Bosniak, one Serb, and one Croat from each canton would be represented in that house, if elected.

Several parties in BiH oppose the use of the 2013 Population Census when filling the House of Peoples of the FBiH, accusing that the application of the latest population census, and not the 1991 one, would also mean acknowledging the legalization of ethnic cleansing in BiH that occurred during the war in the nineties. The Dayton Peace Agreement also defines the use of the 1991 census until the return of displaced persons to their pre-war homes, which has not happened to this day. 

The CEC's instructions remain in force until a competent body challenges them, it was said today at the Constitutional Court of BiH.