Op-ed by High Representative Valentin Inzko: Listen to the People
BiH citizens are demanding that politicians stop bickering and start tackling corruption and poverty. Tomorrow, the Federation House of Peoples will have an opportunity to show that politicians are listening.
The House of Peoples will decide whether or not to confirm the appointment of two candidates to sit as judges on the Federation Constitutional Court.
Citizens struggling to make ends meet might wonder if the issue of appointments to the Constitutional Court will make much difference to their daily lives.
The Constitutional Court is there to protect the public interest. But there is a cost if the institutions are not equipped to function in full capacity. When the Court is properly run it is an essential element in the machinery of government. When it is not properly run, the machinery of government can very easily be brought to a standstill.
This has been one of the root causes of the political paralysis in the Federation.
In other words, the failure to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court has reduced the capacity of the authorities in the Federation to focus on urgent measures that are needed to tackle the social and economic difficulties facing citizens.
Not only does this affect the present authorities, it casts a shadow over the process of forming new governments in the Federation after the October elections, as this could be held up indefinitely if VNI is invoked and the Constitutional Court does not have the necessary judges to consider such an appeal.
After thorough and lengthy consultation, the Federation President has submitted two names from the list of selected qualified candidates of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council for confirmation by the House of Peoples.
If these candidates win the backing of parliamentarians then the Court will be able to form a VNI Panel and get on with a key part of its job.
If neither candidate receives the backing of parliamentarians then the authorities at all levels in the Federation will continue to be paralysed and the people will continue to suffer.
So far, there has been a failure to reach agreement because the main parties have been using the Court appointments as bargaining chips in a political board game.
This has to stop.