Political parties in power openly violate laws

Banja Luka, January 13, 2012- Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) believes that the arrangements and the distribution of positions in state agencies on party lines is illegal, and that institutions should be independent and not to be apportioned between the political parties themselves.

The media published news that political parties have already divided the key functions among themselves in institutions such as the Central Election Commission, the Agency for corruption prevention and the fight against corruption, Agency for Higher Education and Quality Assurance, Audit, Procurement review body etc.

TI BiH reminds that among the above mentioned agencies are institutions which are implementing key anti-corruption laws, which means that they must be totally free from political control, and that their independence is guaranteed by law.

Although it is now clear that many of these institutions are under the political control of parties in power, such public distribution of functions is clearly showing that parties primarily do not want to enable their unobstructed functioning, while on the other side they do not care about the laws that they are making. Such behavior of political parties destroys the democratic system and prevents the supervision of the government, given the fact that the institutions responsible for it are put under party control. What represents a serious issue of concern is that laws are violated publicly and openly, while at the same time there is an absence of reaction by the institutions and the public.

TI BiH, therefore, appeals to the Parliament, as well as to the representatives from the above mentioned institutions to try to prevent this open attack on the institutional system, and to enable a transparent selection of heads of institutions in the manner which is proscribed by law.