Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples, Šefik Džaferović and Safet Softić, spoke with members of the Delegation of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe

Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH), Šefik Džaferović and Safet Softić, spoke today in Sarajevo with members of the Delegation of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, who are in a several-day working visit to our country.

Noting that there is less and less time to reach a compromise between the leading political parties in BiH and to adopt an acceptable solution to avoid the expected problems in implementation of the election results of the October General Elections, the Venice Commission officials stressed that the solution is in the hands of the local authorities, especially the legislators whose jurisdiction is to adopt amendments to the BiH Election Law.

Members of the Collegium of both Houses of the PABiH thanked the representatives of the Venice Commission for their proven commitment and desire to help in finding a compromise solution regarding amendments to the Election Law of BiH.

Džaferović and Softić agreed with the opinion that, especially after the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina published the call for the General Elections, the manoeuvring space has been narrowed for reaching an agreement regarding amendments to the Election Law of BiH.

Džaferović and Softić expressed the view that the continuation of the talks, conducted with the mediation of representatives of the European Union and the United States, including representatives of the Venice Commission as the Council of Europe's advisory body, sends a message that the possibility of an agreement exists and that BiH after the October General Elections will not enter crisis period in terms of implementation of election results.

It was emphasised that the priority obligation of the PABiH was to adopt amendments to the BiH Election Law and that the legislative procedure in both Houses would not be a problem if a political agreement on this important issue was reached. In this regard, it was said that solutions should be persistently sought, and the interlocutors hope that the political representatives involved in the talks will overcome the reason and will to resolve this issue. (End)