Komšić plays Čović's card: No FBiH Government without the Council of Ministers

Following media reports about the formation of the FBiH Government by March 31, 2015, a press release was issued today from the office of FBiH Vice President Milan Dunović, reports the Patria news agency.

-We note that the parties forming the parliamentary majority have set as a condition for the formation of the FBiH Government that the FBiH Government and the Council of Ministers be formed at the same time.

Accordingly, we express hope that the parties will this time adhere to the agreement in order to fulfill the prerequisites for the appointment of the new Government and the Council of Ministers at the same time, and after SIPA carries out the necessary legal checks for the new composition of the BiH Council of Ministers, Dunović's statement reads.

Two extraordinary sessions of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament are scheduled for tomorrow.

At one, the 2015 Budget Proposal, prepared by the FBiH Government led by Nermin Nikšić, will be adopted, while at the other, the composition of the new FBiH Government, whose president is Fadil Novalić, should be confirmed.

Judging by Dunović's reaction, prompted by a statement from HDZ leader Dragan Čović that if the Federal Government and the BiH Council of Ministers are not appointed by March 31, there will be no more HDZ-SDA-DF coalition, he, as FBiH Vice President, will not give his consent to Novalić's government.

SIPA has not completed checks for 19 proposed candidates for ministerial and deputy positions, meaning it is impossible to expect the Council of Ministers to be formed tomorrow, especially since additional time will be taken by the verification of the new candidate for the position of Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, announced by Čović.

DF leader Željko Komšić also warned that their only condition is that the FBiH Government and the Council of Ministers be appointed “the same hour, the same day,” otherwise DF representatives will not vote for the new Government.

Thus, it is technically unfeasible for both the Federation and BiH to get new governments tomorrow, but financing is not in question because the federal budget will be adopted, and the Council of Ministers has already adopted a Decision on temporary financing (April-June).

It is more than obvious that Čović, who first conditioned that the state and federal governments must be formed in parallel, and then from yesterday began pushing the story only about the FBiH Government, has prepared a new political trick.

It would suit him very well now for a new FBiH Government to be formed, because in the current composition he has none of his own ministers.

In the current Council of Ministers, he has his own people, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Vjekoslav Bevanda, ministers Damir Ljubić and Bariša Čolak, and he would not mind if the process of forming the state government drags on.

This is the same matrix used by Milorad Dodik, who formed the RS Government, and currently has Finance Minister Nikola Špirić and Minister of Civil Affairs Sredoje Nović in the Council of Ministers.

Thus, both Čović and Dodik would hold the “reins” in the entity governments, and in addition, the HDZ leader would enable his friend to have his people continue sitting in the state government.

However, Komšić has apparently seen through their intentions and is now playing Čović's card: forming both governments in parallel.