GREGORIAN APPOINTS THE 7TH MEMBER OF THE BRCKO DISTRICT ELECTION COMMISSION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 24,2008) - The Brcko District Supervisor Raffi Gregorian issued a Supervisory Order appointing the 7th member of the Brcko District Election Commission, thereby completing its composition in time to enable the Commission to properly prepare and conduct the upcoming October local elections in Bosnia.

This Order rectifies the unfortunate situation created by the Brcko District Assembly’s failure to comply with various laws and Supervisory Orders.

Both the election laws of Bosnia and of the Brcko District, and the Decision enacted by the Bosnian Central Election Commission on May 8, 2008, required that the Brcko District Election Commission be extended by two members to a total of seven members.

The Brcko District Assembly’s continual failure since June 2007 to deal with appointments to the Brcko District Election Commission and its additional failure to appoint two new members forced the Supervisor to intervene in the process through a Supervisory Order of July 18, 2008 and then in his letter of August 20, 2008 in which he instructed Councilors to appoint two new members of the Brcko District Election Commission no later than August 31, 2008.

Instead of selecting and appointing two members as required, the Assembly, after four sessions, appointed only one new member at its August 30, 2008 session, collectively deciding without any dissent to restart the whole process for the seventh position despite having ample choices of qualified applicants from which to choose. In voting to restart the process, the Councilors knowingly violated the law and Supervisory Orders, and placed at risk the conduct of District elections in October.

As the Assembly failed to act in a lawful and timely fashion with regard to appointments to the Brcko District Election Commission, Supervisor Gregorian has had to step in and appoints by his Order Ljiljana Orendi as the seventh member of the Brcko District Election Commission.

The Supervisor finds it unacceptable that he should have to act in place of Councilors who are paid to act in accordance with the law. He therefore has also ordered that each Councilor be fined 800 (eight hundred) Bosnian Marks for their misconduct, the amount representing the approximate cost to District taxpayers of the four sessions held which concluded with their unlawful act. As of today they are also forbidden to spend any money from the budget for gifts, meals, drinks or any other kind of representational or hospitality expenses for the rest of their mandate.

The money deducted from the councilors’ salaries will be rerouted to the account of the new Brcko day care centre for children and persons with special needs, which is currently under construction.
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