All moves that would lead to a paralysis of Bosnian institutions and prevent their work would be a massive step in the wrong direction, the office of Bosnia's international administrator told N1 Wednesday, commenting on the announcement of Serb officials that they would not partake in the decision-making process after the Constitutional Court said several laws in Bosnia's Serb majority part were unconstitutional.
“We expect all political parties to respect the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to make sure that they are able to make decisions that would lead Bosnia to EU accession,” the Office of the High Representative said.
After the Constitutional Court decided that Article 53 of the Republika Srpska (RS) Law on Agricultural Land, as well as Articles 3 and 4 of the RS Law on Inland Navigation, unconstitutional – RS leaders decided to boycott the decision-making process in State institutions by attending the sessions and meetings, but not taking part in the voting process, thus blocking the process completely.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two semi-autonomous entities – the Bosniak-Croat shared Federation (FBiH) and the Serb dominated RS. Both entities have their institutions and competencies. The international community had set up the OHR as the international administrator's office in charge of overseeing the civilian implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia.
“Ignoring the specific decision of the Constitutional Court, which we have not yet seen, we want to recall that the Constitutional Court is the cornerstone on which the constitutional framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina rests. In accordance with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the entities are obliged to fully respect the decisions of Bosnia's institutions, including those of the Constitutional Court, which are final and binding,” the OHR added.
Speaking of the presence of international judges in the Constitutional Court, they say their presence is provided for by Bosnia's Constitution.
Attacks on the Court or any of its members constitute unacceptable interference with the work of the judiciary, the OHR concluded.
