Urgent session of the House of Peoples of BiH PA: Opposition delegates demand to supplement the agenda with dismissals of Špirić, Amidžić and Košarac

(Patria) - The 14th urgent session of the House of Peoples of BiH PA began at 10 AM, with four items on its agenda, namely the request of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH to consider the Proposal for amendments to the Law on Financing of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina under an urgent procedure, the Proposal for the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (first reading), proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH, the request of delegate Marina Pendeš to consider the Proposal for the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina under an urgent procedure, and the request of delegate Marina Pendeš to consider the Proposal for amendments to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina under an urgent procedure.

However, opposition delegates are challenging the agenda and warning the Speaker of the House that he is violating the Rules of Procedure.

Delegate Nenad Vuković (PDP) said that they have to protest every time.

"Can we get an explanation for the 11th, 12th, and 13th interrupted sessions. Where does it say that interrupted urgent sessions are not continued. How did you come up with not continuing them. We must discuss elementary issues of the House. We are not the ones who do not want to talk about important issues. The condition is that we have some order. Our discussion depends significantly on your answers," said Vuković.

Speaker of the House Nikola Špirić emphasized that no one has a reason to violate the Rules of Procedure.

"We have presented the position of the majority of the Serb caucus. If there is readiness to work on these items, let's do it. If there is no readiness, please say so," said Špirić.

Delegate Zlatko Miletić recalled when all the urgent sessions were interrupted and asked Špirić to answer whether there was a consensus of the Collegium on the agenda.

"Given the provisions of the Rules of Procedure, you were obliged to put the items from all these interrupted sessions as the first items on the agenda of this session. After each session, I will file an amendment to the criminal complaint because this is an abuse of office," said Miletić.

Vuković took the floor and warned Špirić that he continues to ignore the delegates' questions.

"It is clear who the creators of such things are, and you bear the greatest responsibility because you are the Speaker. Perhaps you calculated that time would do its work and that we would get used to this situation. We will not allow you to get us used to this. We must insist on discussing the agenda. You abolished it. First, you abolished it at urgent sessions, and then you did the same at the 16th regular session. You did not allow our proposal to be put to a vote. Perhaps we should succumb to the way you work. I don't know how one values these things. You invented a provision that whoever has three delegates can paralyze the government in BiH. Once again, I ask you to provide answers that both we and the public understand," said Vuković.

He also read out the request to supplement the agenda, namely the dismissal of Nikola Špirić and the dismissal of Staša Košarac and Srđan Amidžić, and to put it to a vote in the House of Peoples, and for these to be the first items on the agenda of today's session.

"This request is signed by us who have a sufficient majority, and you should respect this fact. This request is accompanied by material from these two sessions, and I ask the service to take it and distribute it," said Vuković.

Delegate Safet Softić replied to Radovan Kovačević, stating that he did say that there is a way for eight delegates to remove Nikola Špirić from the House of Peoples.

"I cannot understand this psychology. Mr. Čović started it when he violated the Rules of Procedure, and Špirić, who has become an expert, continued it. This man makes the rules for all of us. He says it is so, and the request of eight delegates will not be put to a vote. If there is no agreement in the Collegium, and there isn't, then it is put to a vote of the House. The way he works is unacceptable, and I thank colleague Miletić for filing a criminal complaint, and I will gladly testify in the investigation," said Softić.