Consultations awaited: Appointment of Božović as minister or new crisis

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The third session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina is scheduled for January 16, and the agenda includes the confirmation of the appointment of the Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, Mlađen Božović (DNS), the candidate for Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, did not receive the support of the majority of members of the Commission for the Preparation of the Election of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to recommend him to the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina for that position.

Of the 10 present members of the Commission, four were against (SDP, NS, A-SDA and PDP), four in favor (PDA, DNS, HDZ and SP), and two abstained (SDA and SBB).
Otherwise, this decision is not binding for the House of Representatives, which will vote on the election of Božović independently of the Commission's opinion. However, judging by the vote in the Commission, the appointment of Božović could be questionable if the coalition partners have not further coordinated, which the SDA had requested.

Otherwise, representatives of this party in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina were not willing to speak about whether they would support Božović. The leader of the SNSD, Milorad Dodik, assessed that the earlier agreement should be adhered to, that the candidate should be proposed by the party that has the right to do so, regardless of whether someone likes it or not. Dodik believes that renewed contestation of Božović's election would mean a new crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Central Election Commission announced on December 18 that it was determined that Božović meets all the necessary conditions for appointment prescribed by the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Božović, who was proposed on behalf of the Democratic People's Alliance, also passed the necessary checks by the Agency for Investigation and Protection (SIPA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The House of Representatives confirmed on December 23 the appointment of the other ministers in the Council of Ministers, while Božović's confirmation was postponed because the necessary checks by SIPA had not been completed by the session.