SARAJEVO, MARCH 27 (ONASA) – Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović, supported the decision of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, on technical changes to the Election Law.
Bećirović pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a democratic state that functions in accordance with the law and on the basis of free and democratic elections.
And there can be no free and democratic elections if electoral integrity is called into question.
– The decisions of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the result of his powers derived from the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Christian Schmidt, as a legitimate high representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has the authority to intervene in political processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to ensure the implementation of the Dayton Agreement.
In the Dayton Agreement, among other things, it was stated that democratic authorities and fair procedures are the best way to create peaceful relations within a pluralistic society – says Bećirović.
Electoral integrity, as he underlined, is a key concept in the democratic electoral process and has great significance for the stability, transparency and legitimacy of elections.
Electoral integrity ensures the legitimacy of elected officials.
Thanks to the integrity of the electoral process, citizens are sure that the choice of the holder of power is based on their will, and not on the will of the vote counter.
Bećirović emphasizes that technical changes were necessary and very necessary in Bosnian society.
Therefore, he regrets that the amendments to the Election Law were not adopted earlier, within the highest legislative body of government – the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.
-In any case, technical changes restore electoral integrity, which ultimately results in citizens’ trust in the entire democratic process.
Changes that result in the citizens’ belief that the elections are fair and free from manipulation, at the same time maintain the vitality of democracy in BiH and ensure that the election results reflect the will of the citizens – Bećirović assessed.
The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said, deserve that the government be elected in accordance with the long-term constitutional principles of the rule of law and legal certainty.
Election rules in BiH must not deviate from those in force in modern democratic states, concluded Bećirović, the Cabinet of the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH announced.