The West "cold shower" Dodik, the changes in the electoral law in Bosnia come into force, the high international representative presents the "new rules of the game", that's why the next week will be decisive

The imposition of technical changes to the Electoral Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina by High Representative Christian Schmidt resulted in a stormy reaction of the governing structure in Republika Srpska, led by the SNSD. The Bosnian Serb leader even turned it into a "personal war" with Schmidt, whom he accused but also attacked. Dodik has previously threatened on several occasions to secede Republika Srpska if Schmidt, whose authority he opposes, imposes some of the laws. Amending the Electoral Law with technical improvements was one of the conditions for the European Commission to recommend to the European Council the unconditional opening of membership negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, it seems that now Dodik has received another "slap" from the West, since all the changes in the country's electoral law decided by the High Representative Christian Schmidt at the end of March have entered into force, while the Central Election Commission (CEC ) is expected to announce local elections next week, which should be held in October, local media reports.

Decision on elections

SIP announced that in the session of that body next week they will take a decision on the announcement of local elections, which should be held on October 6. Then the new mayors and mayors of municipalities and municipal and municipal councils will be elected. This year's local elections should be held under the new rules imposed by Schmidt, but Republika Srpska is not happy with that, so that entity's parliament passed a special election law that has yet to come into effect because the process its review is still in progress. Schmidt's decision, among other things, introduced provisions providing for electronic surveillance at polling stations, but due to short deadlines, the new technology will be used in October only in a limited number of locations where voting will take place. Local election commissions will be depoliticized because their presidents will be appointed by SIP, people convicted of war crimes will no longer be able to run for office.

controversy

Schmidt's latest intervention, his tenth under the so-called 'powers of the High Representative' to impose changes and his third related to the electoral law, came after warnings to party leaders in the ruling coalition. But the key issue in the electoral system of BiH, which refers to the method of electing the members of the Presidency of BiH, has not yet been resolved despite the insistence of the HDZ of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Next week, the BiH Council of Ministers must again consider the proposal of the electoral law, which was discussed earlier by the leaders of the ruling coalition parties and which contains the request to provide a new way of electing the Croatian member of the Presidency. BiH and the obstruction of the majority of Croats, but there is no prospect of this at the moment a final agreement is reached. BiH Foreign Affairs Minister Elmedin Konakovic said earlier this week that Bosnian ministers will not support the Justice Ministry's positive opinion on the new electoral law if it is reduced only to changes in the way members of the state are elected from among the Croats.

"Cold shower" towards Dodik

A while ago, Dodik announced that if the high representative decides on changes to the electoral law, Republika Srpska will adopt its own electoral law, and that if Schmidt introduces a law on state property, RS will adopt measures for its future status. Dodik believes that the possible imposition of changes in the Electoral Law would represent the "cancellation of all values ??declared so far", including those of the EU. Dodik also raised accusations against the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEC). , which he called "an usurping body that has no right to hold local elections in the territory of Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina."