OHR Urges Canton 7 Assembly To Nominate Delegates to the FBiH House of Peoples

 At a meeting in Mostar this morning with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) representatives of all the parties elected to the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Assembly agreed to hold the next session of the Canton Assembly on 17 January. The OHR expects that the nominations for Canton 7’s delegates to the FBiH House of Peoples (HoP) will be sent to the Central Election Commission for verification after this session.

The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is the only Canton that has not started the process that will complete the election of delegates to the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliamentary Assembly. The OHR is closely monitoring the situation in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.

“It is the responsibility of Assembly delegates, and the political parties they represent, to ensure the legal requirements attached to their functions are fully upheld — this is clearly not the case at present”, said OHR’s Principal Deputy High Representative, Larry Butler today. “The ongoing dispute over which party might join the government majority is not reason enough to risk a serious fiscal crisis, holding hostage large groups of citizens who depend upon the persons they elected for their welfare.”

A financial crisis looms in the FBiH as a result of the failure to adopt a budget for 2007. A temporary financing decision could fill the gap, but the outgoing FBiH House of Peoples cannot adopt a temporary financing decision. Cantonal Assemblies must therefore be formed so that the FBiH Parliament can prevent the crisis.

Under the FBiH Constitution the HoP is bound to meet within twenty days of the announcement of the election results. The OHR expects the House of Peoples to convene as soon as a sufficient number of delegates have been certified to constitute a quorum.

Today’s meeting was attended by Omer Cevra and Salko Sokolovic (SDA); Ljubo Zovko and Stjepan Krasic (HDZ BiH); Ivan Zelencic and Josip Merdzo (HDZ 1990); Zeljko Asic (HSP Djapic-Jurisic); Mili Huseinagic (SBiH); Huso Kapic (SDP) and Omer Micijevic (BPS).