Brcko Supervisor Dr Raffi Gregorian today issued a Supervisory Order to remove any legal uncertainty about the status of the Brcko District Election Commission and to ensure continuity in tasks to be performed prior to, during, and after the October 2008 elections.
The mandate of the current commission expired in February 2007 and a new Commission should have been appointed thereafter. In addition, recently amended election legislationrequires that the Brcko District Election Commission be extended by two members to a total of seven members.
For reasons not under the responsibility of the Brcko District Election Commission, this has not been done. This has created an inaccurate perception by some that the proper conduct of October elections in Brcko District could be at risk while this perception is not true.
After consultations withrelevant BiH and District institutions, the Supervisor decided to eliminate all doubts by issuing a Supervisory Order to provide for legal certainty and continuity in preparing and conducting the 2008 election.
The Brcko District Assembly will have to without delay select and appoint two new members of the Brcko District Election Commission, and, in the course of 2009, select and appointfive members of the Brcko District Election Commission.
The current members of the Brcko District Election Commission will continue to perform all duties and responsibilities as members of the Brcko District Election Commission until the Brcko District Assembly will have appointed five members.
Supervisor Gregorian personally commended the current members of the Brcko District Election Commission for their professional commitment and high standards of performance in the past, expressed his regret that the competent authorities had not acted in a timely fashion to resolve the matter themselves, and expressed full confidence in the ability of the Brcko District Election Commission to continue to carry out its duties with the same commitment and standards of performance.