Čavalić: Trojka and HDZ enter grey zone and unconstitutionality if they attempt what is being announced

(Patria) - In the political minutes of the Morning Program of Federal Television, Admir Čavalić, president of the SBiH Caucus in the House of Representatives of the Federation of BiH, was a guest.

Will the working bodies of the House of Representatives of the FBiH start functioning next week? What solution does he expect from the ruling parties? Is the opposition constructive? Will the parliament adopt the proposal for a decision on temporary financing? Is a financial blockade facing the Federation? How does he view the increase in the minimum wage by 23 KM? We discuss the current political situation and Bosnia and Herzegovina's European path.

- Mr. Čavalić, on Monday, according to many announcements, there should be work in the Federal Parliament. There are many announcements that there will be an unblocking of these working bodies. We have the Legislative-Legal Commission scheduled and we have a session of the House of Representatives scheduled. Will work finally begin?-

"Well, we have one item on the agenda that concerns the working bodies. My assumption is that we all expect the ruling majority in the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt some conclusion. Referring to Article 3 of the Rules of Procedure to regulate the work of the working bodies, this will probably allow the Legislative-Legal Commission on Tuesday, perhaps not legally, not according to the rules, unconstitutionally, to make some decisions that would possibly have repercussions on the session we have on Wednesday, which concerns the decision on temporary financing, but certainly also the decision on amendments to the Rules of Procedure. So I expect something to happen on Monday; we still haven't received, so to speak, the proposal for that conclusion.

We received some working materials where there are many illogicalities, so, for example, the Health Committee is mentioned among others as not functioning. Although we know that the Health Committee sometimes did not have a quorum, it was not held, then it was held. That quorum was not there because representatives of the majority were not present, and partially the opposition, so equal responsibility. It is not clear to me why this is put in the same basket, and we know that most working bodies function perfectly well. The Committee for Economic and Financial Policy, which I chair, is holding a regular session on Tuesday at twelve o'clock, where we focus on the item of temporary financing so that our pensioners and budget beneficiaries do not have problems from February 1st this year," emphasizes Čavalić.

-You mention conclusions, and the ruling parties also mentioned that they could actually unblock the work of the working bodies with a conclusion. You talk about some working versions. For example, is that a conclusion stating that the lack of a commission's opinion due to lack of quorum is actually counted as a positive opinion of the commission?-

"That could be the conclusion, it could be a conclusion that the Legislative-Legal Commission does not have to consider decisions, and now the focus is on decisions when we also talk about the Rules of Procedure. However, why is that session on Monday controversial, why is that form of conclusion controversial? First of all, it is a grey zone; if it were something in accordance with the Constitution of the Federation and in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and laws, the ruling majority would have done it in August last year, so they would have used the power of the conclusion. They didn't, and then they go to the end; I probably received information that some think it shouldn't go that way, some think it should, some think it will fall at the Constitutional Court. That's the first thing. The second thing is it's hard to explain that the working bodies are blocked if the opposition representatives, who are accused of blocking, are ready to continue the fourth session of the Commission for Elections and Appointments, where it will be decided whether there will be one candidate or more candidates for judge of the Constitutional Court on the list. They are ready to be constructive and support every law, every decision in the interest of the citizens of the Federation, taxpayers, and businessmen, and come to the session of the Legislative-Legal Commission, just so that this amendment to the Rules of Procedure, which limits the democratic expression of the Rules of Procedure itself, does not happen. So there is, and I will argue that on Monday. We cannot talk about a blockade if there is now a solution. I will propose a conclusion together with my colleagues that we instruct the Legislative-Legal Commission, on behalf of the Parliament, to hold its session that day; if necessary, let's stop this session of the Parliament, let the session of the Legislative-Legal Commission be held with only one item, and that is the decision on temporary financing," stated Čavalić.

-The fact is that the rulebook states that what is not regulated by the rulebook can actually be regulated and resolved by a conclusion. Which of those conclusions you received in that draft, in the working version, is acceptable to the opposition at all? Is there any version of that conclusion that is acceptable to the opposition?-

"We still haven't received the conclusions. We only received some materials that try to argue that there is a blockade. The question is whether there is a blockade, and I say that argumentation is quite strained. When it comes to conclusions, a very simple answer: any conclusion that is in accordance with the constitution, the current Rules of Procedure, and the laws of our entity is good. So that conclusion should be supported and so on, while any conclusion that is contrary to the Constitution, which we will certainly challenge at the Constitutional Court, is a bad conclusion," concluded Čavalić.