HDZ BiH now wants to fill the FBiH Government!?

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – The FBiH Government has been operating with two vacant ministerial positions for over a year, lacking ministers of education and science and ministers for veterans and disabled defenders of the homeland. In January 2020, Minister of Education Elvira Dilberović (SDA) resigned after being appointed ambassador to Sweden. That position was never filled. At the end of July 2020, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Salko Bukvarević (SDA) died from the consequences of coronavirus. That position was also never filled.

However, after Minister of Health Vjekoslav Mandić (HDZ BiH) died from the consequences of coronavirus in early October this year, weakening HDZ by one position in the FBiH Government, this party has suddenly become willing to fill the vacant positions.

Although SDA has repeatedly called for the appointment of ministers in the FBiH Government, HDZ has not agreed to this and has never initiated the procedure for electing a new President of FBiH.

Otherwise, due to the blockade by HDZ BiH and Dragan Čović, who conditioned the appointment of a new Government on the election law according to his wishes, the same ministers have been in office for seven years. The only change occurred after DF left the FBiH Government in October 2015, replaced by SBB, which has remained to this day, although they claim to be in opposition.

It should be noted that despite the three vacant positions, the FBiH Government has no obstacles to making decisions and deciding on any issue. The missing ministers are being replaced by assistants who do not have the right to vote at FBiH Government sessions.

Otherwise, filling the FBiH Government at this moment would constitute a violation of the FBiH Constitution because the procedure after the 2018 elections was not followed. A new President and Vice-Presidents of FBiH were never elected, nor was the procedure for appointing a new Government initiated.