SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), January 25 (SeeNews) – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) urged Bosnia to make progress in constitutional reforms and the reform of the election law before the general election in October .
"All political stakeholders must shoulder their responsibilities and adopt the necessary changes both in the Constitution and in the Election Law at the latest six months before the next general election in October 2018," PACE declared in a resolution adopted on Wednesday.
PACE remains concerned about the lack of progress in the field of constitutional reform and reform of the election law in Bosnia, which threatens the political stability of the country, it said.
It pointed out that the 2014 elections were held for the second time under a legal and constitutional framework which is in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights since the 2009 judgment in the case of Sejdic and Finci: Once again, only Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks could run for the State Presidency or be elected/appointed to the State House of Peoples.
The parliamentarians also stressed the urgent need to implement the Constitutional Court’s decision on the composition of the Federation's House of Peoples well ahead of the elections, as otherwise there is a serious risk that government formation both at Federation and at State level after these elections will be blocked.
PACE noted its parliamentarians also regret that nationalistic and ethnic rhetoric still dominates the political discourse in the country.
The text adopted by PACE indicates a series of recommendations to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to strengthen the democratic institutions, the rule of law and the protection of human rights.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is made up of two entities, the Federation and the Serb Republic.
The country joined the Council of Europe on April 24, 2002.