HDZ BiH Caucus Refuses to Attend Extraordinary Session of the PFBiH House of Representatives

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The HDZ-HNS caucus will not participate in today's extraordinary session, the agenda of which includes the Proposal of the Law on Electoral Units and the Number of Mandates of the Parliament of FBiH. The proposers of this law are the caucuses of SDA, SBB, SDP BiH and DF, as well as delegate Predrag Kojović of Our Party from the House of Peoples.

"Despite media reports, the HDZ BiH – HNS caucus was not officially informed by coalition partners, but received an invitation during the 30th extraordinary session of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of FBiH /June 20, 2018 at 12:08 PM/ for the 31st extraordinary session on June 20, 2018 at 3:00 PM, where the sole agenda item would be the Proposal of the Law on Electoral Units and the Distribution of Mandates of the Parliament of FBiH," the HDZ caucus stated.

"This is a Proposal of the Law that is contrary to the Constitution of BiH, the ruling of the Constitutional Court of BiH regarding the principles of legitimate representation of constituent peoples, and the Constitution of FBiH. With this Proposal, Bosniak parties propose a solution that the Constitutional Court of BiH has declared unconstitutional, thereby grossly ignoring the ruling of the Constitutional Court of BiH, calling into question its authority, and consequently the constitutional order of BiH. Additionally, the 31st extraordinary session of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of FBiH was convened contrary to the Rules of Procedure and the previous practice of the House of Representatives. The goal of the Bosniak political parties is the complete political desubjectivization of the Croatian people, which we consider unacceptable, and we refuse to participate in the work of the House of Representatives until the Croatian National Assembly of BiH takes a stance," the statement reads.

The Constitutional Court of BiH previously struck down provisions of the Election Law of BiH concerning the election of delegates in the House of Peoples of the Parliament of FBiH. The authorities failed to reach a new agreement on the election of delegates, leaving this issue unresolved less than four months before the elections.

HDZ BiH proposes that Croatian delegates in the House of Peoples of FBiH be elected only from those cantons where Croats are the majority, as well as Bosniaks from cantons where that people is the majority, which is unacceptable to other parties in FBiH, who state that such a proposal by HDZ BiH is contrary to European practice.

The head of the SDP caucus in the House of Representatives of the Parliament of FBiH, Elvir Karajbić, stated yesterday that the Proposal of the Law on Electoral Units, supported by SDP, DF, SDA, NS, and SBB, meets European standards.