SARAJEVO, June 21 (Hina) - The House of Representatives of Bosnia-Herzegovina's parliament on Thursday evening rejected a draft of a permanent electoral law, forwarded into the parliamentary procedure by the Bosnian Council of
Ministers. Following a two-day heated debate, marked by many breaks, quarrels and accusations, the permanent election law did not muster the necessary number of votes of MPs for its passage. Of 39 present MPs, 16 voted for the bill, while others were against or abstained from the ballot. The bill which actually contains electoral rules applied for elections until the 2000 ballot, was supported by representatives of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) and a few parties from Bosnian Serb ranks. The (Muslim) Party of Democratic Action or SDA and the Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina voted against the law, whereas representatives of the Social
SARAJEVO, June 21 (Hina) - The House of Representatives of Bosnia-
Herzegovina's parliament on Thursday evening rejected a draft of a
permanent electoral law, forwarded into the parliamentary
procedure by the Bosnian Council of Ministers.
Following a two-day heated debate, marked by many breaks, quarrels
and accusations, the permanent election law did not muster the
necessary number of votes of MPs for its passage.
Of 39 present MPs, 16 voted for the bill, while others were against
or abstained from the ballot.
The bill which actually contains electoral rules applied for
elections until the 2000 ballot, was supported by representatives
of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) and the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ BiH) and a few parties from Bosnian Serb ranks.
The (Muslim) Party of Democratic Action or SDA and the Party for
Bosnia-Herzegovina voted against the law, whereas representatives
of the Social Democrats (SDP) abstained from the vote.
The adoption of a permanent electoral law by 22 June was a
precondition which Bosnia's authorities should meet so that the
Council of Europe may begin a discussion on admitting Bosnia into
its membership.
The international community's High Representative to Bosnia,
Wolfgang Petritsch, should discuss this matter with Council of
Europe officials on Friday in Strasbourg.
Non-adoption of the law may prolong the admission of Bosnia into the
Council of Europe for a year and half at least.
Sarajevo forwarded its application for the Council's membership
four years ago.
The basic reason for the conflict in the parliament was reduced to a
demand of the Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina that some amendments to
the draft act should impose the obligation on those who are
currently occupying the property of other people illegally that
they have to go to the polls in their pre-war places of residence.
This party did not want to support the law, provisions of which
could indirectly back the results of ethnic cleansing.
No compromise, however, could be reached about its demand and
eventually the entire document was rejected.
According to some unofficial reports, the latest political crisis
may be settled as early as tomorrow when a plenary session of both
houses of the parliament should be convened and when the country's
three-man presidency can propose a new text of the law which should
then be either accepted or refused without a possibility for
submitting amendments.
(hina) ms