The recent surge in COVID-19 cases serves as a stark reminder to all of the importance of strict adherence to epidemiological safety measures; it is the best way to ensure the public’s health and to mitigate COVID-19’s negative effect on the economy, the Principal Deputy High Representative and Brčko District Supervisor Michael Scanlan stated Thursday.

In his Thursday meeting with Brcko Mayor Sinisa Milic, District Assembly Speaker Esed Kadric, and Deputy Speaker Ivo Filipovic, the Supervisor commended the allocation of funds for safety equipment at all polling stations to ensure voters can cast their ballots in a safe environment despite the pandemic, the Office of the High Representative in charge of monitoring the civilian implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, said.

In the meeting, the Supervisor also underscored that all government departments need to remain focused on preparing a new Law on Conflict of Interest, a Law on Public Administration Reform, and other steps to strengthen transparency, fiscal discipline, and accountability of public institutions in the District.

In his meeting with the Head of the District Election Commission, Andrea Štrkalj Mrkonjić, the Supervisor expressed his full support for the Commission and its valiant staff’s work to ensure the election process runs smoothly and safely.

According to the OHR statement, the Supervisor applauded that voters, who discover they have been falsely registered as absentee voters, will be able to go to a specialized polling station in Brčko to ensure that it is they who will cast their votes and not someone else. Scanlan also welcomed the District law-enforcement authorities’ public commitment to continue to investigate and prosecute all instances of election fraud.

Scanlan visited the Brcko Port and met with members of the Unit for the implementation of the Port modernization project, and was assured that the process will proceed as required to allow the construction work to begin in the Port this spring.

On Wednesday, the Supervisor attended a session of the National Minorities Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina and received a letter of appreciation for his support for the District’s adoption of the Law on the Rights of National Minorities. He thanked the Council on behalf of the OHR, commended the Council’s work, and said the law is a crucial step in ensuring Brčko is a fully inclusive community in which every one can equally participate in line with European norms.