DODIK: ELECTORAL RIGHTS BELONG TO ENTITIES

BANJA LUKA, JULY 30 /SRNA/ –Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik states that Republika Srpska is in a constant struggle for its rights and that, according to the Constitution and the Electoral Law, electoral rights belong to the entities, emphasizing that Srpska has already enacted its own laws in this area.

Dodik pointed out that nowhere in the law does it say that the Central Election Commission /CEC/ conducts elections, and added that the key issue with using modern technology to conduct elections in BiH is that the software is controlled from Sarajevo. "The law says that the CEC organises elections for BiH-level institutions, meaning only the Presidency and the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, and defines policies for elections. The policy is that elections must be public and transparent…," Dodik explained. He has reiterated that the law does not explicitly authorize the CEC to conduct elections. "This technology they're now trying to impose on us has already been partially tested in local elections, and the SNSD received more votes in those areas than in others. Why did no one mention that this confirmed the legitimacy of the elections?" Dodik asked. He says that, through his associates, he is currently studying the electoral framework in Germany, where similar elections were held. He noted that some constitutionally authorized petitioners later appealed to the German Constitutional Court, claiming that such technology violates fundamental human rights, transparency, and the right to a secret ballot. "That equipment likely ended up in some warehouse in Germany, and now /Christian/ Schmidt wants to sell it to us. I’m in favour of transparency, but we have to be sure as we are going to have a centre supposedly at the CEC, which could just as easily be in the embassies of foreign countries, allowing them to manipulate the elections. This is preparation for the biggest possible electoral fraud," Dodik claimed. He reminded that Schmidt has no right to interfere in the electoral process and that, as early as 2005, the Venice Commission stated that the High Representative is a problem in BiH and cannot be helpful on the country's path to the EU. According to Dodik, a year before the electoral cycle, political parties in a country sit down and agree on election rules, whereas Republika Srpska is being treated like a test subject, with others thinking they can dictate how its elections are conducted. He emphasized that Republika Srpska already has laws in place. "We are not being irrational, there are many problems. We are seeking countries that would support our elections and declare them legitimate," Dodik said. He added that there are countries willing to do so. "All we are asking is that the Electoral Law be respected, which states that the CEC defines policies for elections at other levels. But they've developed a taste for power. Now they even want to control local elections in Ribnik! They want to professionalize members of election commissions, which would mean that this would become the only BiH-level institution with its own structure across the entire country. No other institution has that, everything stops at the entity borders, yet they want to enter every village," said Dodik.