Bosanskohercegovački političari moraju raditi svoj posao/BiH politicians need to do their job



 “Bosanskohercegovački političari moraju raditi svoj posao“


Autori teksta: Ambasadorica SAD-a u BiH Maureen Cormack i ambasador Lars Gunnar Wigemark, šef Delegacije EU u BiH

Ostalo je svega nekoliko sedmica do objavljivanja opštih izbora, a bh. političari imaju sve manje vremena.  Postoji dogovor da su reforme neophodne.  Ono što nedostaje je politička volja da se postigne kompromis.  Kao građani jedne demokratske zemlje, ljudi u BiH imaju pravo da očekuju da se izbori održe, a njihovi rezultati provedu.

Veoma smo zabrinuti činjenicom da bh. lideri zanemaruju svoju odgovornost i ne shvataju ozbiljno rizik izbijanja političke krize.  To je neprihvatljivo.  Ukoliko se rezultati opštih izbora ne budu mogli provesti, biće jako teško formirati institucije vlasti.  To će imati negativne posljedice po svakog građanina.  Zašto?  Zato što baš te institucije usvajaju budžete, a iz tih budžeta se izdvaja novac za troškove komunalija, poput vodosnabdijevanja, grijanja, škola, zdravstvene zaštite i penzija.  Bez funkcionalne vlasti, doći će do društvenih i ekonomskih komplikacija.

Potreba za kompromisom
Bh. lideri snose odgovornost i imaju kapacitet da postignu kompromis.  Uvjereni smo da će jednog dana BiH zauzeti mjesto koje joj pripada u EU i NATO savezu.  Stoga se na izazove mora odgovoriti internim, a ne nametnutim rješenjima.  Političari se biraju da bi garantovali građanima sigurno i stabilno okruženje – za ispunjenje ove obaveze biće neophodan kompromis svih.  Spremni smo nastaviti pružati podršku sastancima između stranaka i pravnu pomoć naših stručnjaka.  Rješenje je moguće.  Ključ je politička volja koju mora pokazati svaki lider u BiH.


Šta bi građani mogli razumno očekivati i tražiti od svojih političkih lidera?  U funkcionalnoj demokratiji, građani imaju pravo birati svoje lidere i imaju pravo na funkcionalnu vlast koja će se formirati nakon izbora.  Politički lideri moraju postići dogovor o minimumu neophodnih promjena kako bi se oktobarski izbori održali i njihovi rezultati proveli – kako bi se riješilo pitanje izbora Doma naroda u Federaciji BiH uzimajući u obzir odluku Ustavnog suda BIH u slučaju Ljubić i postojeći pravni okvir.


Šta je odlučeno u slučaju Ljubić?
Ustavni sud BiH je u decembru 2016. donio odluku da određeni dijelovi teksta Izbornog zakona BiH nisu u skladu sa Ustavom BiH jer dovode do prekomjerne ili nedovoljne zastupljenosti određenih etničkih grupa iz određenih područja.  Ustavni sud je zakonodavcima dao šest mjeseci da usvoje neophodne promjene kako bi se riješio ovaj problem.  U julu 2017, nakon što Parlament nije reagovao, Ustavni sud je intervenisao i izbrisao dva dijela Izbornog zakona.  Ovaj potez Ustavnog suda, iako opravdan nedjelovanjem Parlamenta, ostavio je vakuum u odredbama Izbornog zakona koje govore o raspodjeli mandata u Domu naroda Federacije BiH.  Na političkim strankama je odgovornost da pronađu trajno rješenje u skladu sa presudom u slučaju Ljubić koja zahtijeva proporcionalniju zastupljenost čime bi se omogućilo formiranje Doma naroda Federacije. To zahtijeva amandmane kojima će se uspostaviti ravnoteža između proporcionalne zastupljenosti, imajući u vidu ulogu Doma naroda Federacije BiH u zaštiti prava svih konstitutivnih naroda i široke geografske zastupljenosti, jer Dom naroda Federacije BiH, kao i Zastupnički dom Federacije BiH, ima potpune zakonodavne ovlasti.  Stranke su razgovarale o nekoliko mogućih opcija, ali su do sada odbijale kompromis.


Šta još treba uraditi?
Postoje i druge stvari koje sada treba promijeniti da bi se osiguralo da institucije funkcionišu na demokratski način. Naprimjer, Klub Srba u Domu naroda Federacije BiH koji treba da ima 17 delegata, trenutno ima samo 13 delegata. Klubovi Bošnjaka i Hrvata imaju po 17 delegata, a Klub Ostalih takođe ima propisani broj od 7 delegata. Sve su stranke pokazale spremnost da izvrše promjene kojima će se osigurati da tri konstitutivna naroda, uključujući Srbe, budu u potpunosti zastupljena u Domu naroda FBiH – što je dobar primjer koji pokazuje da stranke, kada žele, mogu postići kompromis. Stranke takođe treba da nađu rješenje za izborni ćorsokak u kojem se nalazi Mostar gdje izbori nisu održani od 2008. To je potpuno neprihvatljivo u zemlji koja ide evropskim putem. Na kraju, političke stranke treba da iskoriste priliku da promijene i poboljšaju vjerodostojnost i transparentnost izbornog procesa na osnovu preporuka Ureda za demokratske institucije i ljudska prava OSCE koje su urađene nakon opštih izbora 2010. i 2014. godine.

Evropski sud za ljudska prava donio je nekoliko odluka koje su bosanskohercegovački lideri do sada ignorisali. Jedna se odnosi na izbore tri člana Predsjedništva BiH, ali stranke ne mogu da se slože oko tumačenja ove odluke, a vremena je jako malo. Rješenje koje se odnosi na Predsjedništvo, a koje ne bi bilo u skladu sa relevantnim presudama Evropskog suda za ljudska prava, predstavljalo bi korak unazad na putu BiH ka EU i NATO savezu.  Evropski sud za ljudska prava takođe zahtijeva promjene u Domu naroda BiH, a potrebno je promijeniti i neke druge stvari čime bi se poboljšao politički sistem u ovoj zemlji da bi više bio u službi građana. Ali, stranke se prvo moraju fokusirati na prioritete koji uključuju Dom naroda FBiH i Mostar, a sačekati period nakon izbora za rješavanje ostalih pitanja, uključujući Predsjedništvo, u skladu sa relevantnim presudama Evropskog suda za ljudska prava i Ustavnog suda.


Zašto je to bitno?
Izborna reforma je bitna jer direktno utiče na to ko će zastupati građane i ko će voditi zemlju. Sada nije vrijeme da se stranke ukopavaju na svojim pozicijama kojima se podriva napredak Bosne i Hercegovine. Sada je vrijeme za lidere da pokažu svoje liderstvo kroz kompromis. Ako se ova pitanja ne riješe, to će imati ozbiljne negativne posljedice i potkopaće nastojanja Bosne i Hercegovine da napreduje. Uspješni demokratski sistemi izgrađeni su na odgovornim institucijama i uvažavanju volje građana. Nespremnost političkih lidera da se izdignu iznad uskih interesa šalje poruku da bosanskohecegovački izabrani predstavnici vjeruju u demokratske norme samo onda kada je to politički prikladno. Na kraju krajeva, građani BiH su ti koji daju političarima ovlasti da ih zastupaju, te mogu – i trebalo bi – da traže odgovornost od svojih izabranih zvaničnika.

Izborna reforma jeste komplikovana. Ali, vrijedi kompromisa -- da bi se izbjegla politička ili ekonomska kriza, da bi se osigurao pravičniji sistem zastupanja, da bi BiH djelovala više u skladu sa evropskim standardima i da bi se zaštitili građani BiH.

Prionimo na posao.


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"BiH politicians need to do their job"


Authors: United States Ambasador to BiH Maureen Cormack and Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, Head of the EU Delegation in BiH


With just weeks before general elections are announced, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) leaders are running out of time.  There is agreement that reforms are needed.  What is missing is the political will to negotiate a compromise.  As citizens of a democratic country, the people of BiH have the right to expect that elections are held and the results implemented.

We are deeply concerned that BiH’s leaders have abdicated their responsibility and do not take seriously the risk of a political crisis.  This is unacceptable.  If the results of the general elections cannot be implemented, the establishment of authorities will be seriously hindered.  This will have negative consequences for every single citizen.  Why?  Because it is these institutions that pass the budget, and from that budget, public services such as water, heating, schools, health care, and pensions, are paid.  Without a functioning government, societal and economic ramifications will follow.


The need for compromise
BiH’s leaders have both the responsibility and the ability to forge a compromise.   We have confidence that one day, BiH will take its rightful place in the EU and NATO.
Therefore, challenges must be met with local solutions, not imposed ones.

Guaranteeing a secure and stable environment is what politicians are elected to office to do, and it will take compromise on all sides to deliver.  We stand ready to continue supporting meetings between parties, and to share our legal expertise.  A solution can be achieved.  The key is political will, and that must be provided by each and every leader in BIH.

What should citizens reasonably expect and demand from their political leaders?  In a functioning democracy, citizens have the right to elect their leaders and are entitled to a functional government, formed after elections.  Political leaders must reach agreement on the minimum changes necessary to hold and implement results from the October elections – to resolve the question of how the Federation House of Peoples (FHoP) is formed, taking into account the decision of the BiH Constitutional Court in the Ljubic case and the existing legal framework.



What did the Ljubic case decide? 
In December 2016, the Constitutional Court of BiH issued a ruling that some language in the BiH Election Law was inconsistent with the BiH Constitution, since it led to over and under-representation of certain ethnic groups in certain areas.  The Constitutional Court gave lawmakers six months to make the changes necessary to address this problem.  In July 2017, after Parliament failed to act, the Constitutional Court intervened, deleting two sections of the Election Law.  The Constitutional Court’s action, while justified by Parliament’s inaction, left a gap in the Election Law’s provisions on the allocation of seats to the FHoP.  It is up to the political parties to find a lasting solution, in line with the Ljubic ruling’s call for more proportional representation, which would enable formation of the FHoP.  This will require amendments that strike a balance between proportional representation, given the FHoP’s role in protecting the rights of each constituent people, and broad geographic representation, because the FHoP, like the Federation House of Representatives, has full legislative authority.  The parties have discussed a number of viable options but have thus far refused to compromise.


What else should be done?
There are other changes that should be made now to ensure that institutions function democratically.  For example, the Serb Caucus in the FHoP, which should have 17 members, at present has only 13 members.  The Bosniak and Croat caucuses have their full 17 members, and Others have their full seven members.  All parties have expressed a willingness to make changes that ensure the three constituent peoples, including Serbs, are fully represented in the FHoP – a good example of how the parties can compromise, when they want to.  Parties should also address the electoral impasse in Mostar, where elections have not been held since 2008.  This is completely unacceptable in a country moving along the European path.  Finally, political parties should take the opportunity to make changes to improve the credibility and transparency of the election process based on recommendations from the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) following the 2010 and 2014 general elections.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has made several determinations that BiH’s leaders have ignored for too long.  One addresses election to the BiH three-member Presidency, but parties cannot agree how to interpret that decision, and time is short.  A solution on the Presidency that does not address the relevant rulings of the ECtHR would represent a step backward on BiH’s path toward the EU and NATO.  The ECtHR also requires changes to the BiH House of Peoples, and there are other changes which could improve the political system of this country, to serve citizens better.  But parties must focus first on urgent priorities, including the FHoP and Mostar, and wait until after the election to address other questions, including the Presidency, in line with relevant ECtHR and Constitutional Court rulings.



Why does this matter?
Electoral reform is an important issue, one that directly affects how citizens are represented, and who gets to lead the country.  Now is not the time for parties to double down on entrenched positions that undermine BiH’s progress.  Now is the time for leaders to lead, through compromise.  Failure to resolve these issues will have serious negative consequences and undermine BiH’s efforts to move forward.  Successful democracies are built on accountable institutions and respect for the people’s will.  Political leaders’ unwillingness to rise above narrow interests sends the message that BiH’s elected representatives only believe in democratic norms when they are politically convenient.  It is, after all, the citizens of BiH who empower politicians to represent them, and they can – and should – hold their elected officials to account.

Electoral reform is complicated.  But to safeguard against a political or economic crisis, to secure a fairer system of representation, to move BiH to be more in line with European standards and to protect the citizens of BiH, the compromise is worth it.

Let’s get to work.













Comments

  1. I hope that the US Embassy and PIC monitor the situation in our country and that they act positively on all the challenges. All B&H citizens loyal to our homeland are very grateful to US Administration for all help and support we are having since aggression to B&H Republic started in 1992. Also, there was a discussion in the US Congress recently, where the participants discussed the current situation in BiH. Many comments have been heard and proposals suggesting measures to remedy the symptoms of negative events, but almost no one mentioned the causes.
    I live in the UK and monitor what's happening, and I am really concern about seeing how the hybrid war against BH continues and becoming more robust. With that, I wrote an open letter to the OHR, trying not only to list the symptoms, but also the causes of negative and worrying tendencies in BiH. The links for this letter are written below and I recommend also US Embassy and PIC members to consider it carefully.

    https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/OPEN%20LETTER%20TO%20OHR.pdf?token=AWzjGaPs2YGDHdZap2lcQILfzzwKEOTEbJ86XPwOw_hdlfAo9ANPhm9uC_VLEp8yet-laNea8wclV9nosAz9RaYCfVkZegJvpLO8PjfZXZdn5f-m8fSa26kVMU3f09KS4-ziuaTaN2GW_UpKYfPEvQJZ
    http://federacija.ba/2018/04/19/open-letter-to-mr-valentin-inzko-ohr-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina-republic/
    With respect,
    Esad Jaganjac B.Sc.

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