Schmidt: Amendments to Electoral Law in Bosnia Have Not Removed All The Flaws

Christian Schmidt (Photo: Print Screen YouTube)

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt stated on Oct. 5 that the amendments to the Electoral Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which he imposed in July this year, did not eliminate all the flaws, fraud and stealing during the election process.

"We were unable to eliminate the fraud and theft but, after talks in the Central Electoral Commission and with other observers, we found that this was a good direction and that there were fewer violations than in previous elections," Schmidt told reporters in Sarajevo.

"We are about to have a major reform of election legislation and that has to be done... I congratulate all those who will receive notes in the forthcoming days about having been elected to the parliament, and their first task should be that we jointly make sure that the Sejdic-Finci verdict from Strasbourg, and others, were implemented after waiting for 12 years. I see that as the continuation of what I have started in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina," Schmidt said.

Commenting on his latest decision, which imposed new amendments to the Election Law and the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on election day, he said that he hoped the decisions had "opened the way, at least to an extent, for Bosnia to obtain the status of EU candidate, perhaps until the end of this year."