HYPOCRITICAL The Trojka calls for the swift formation of government, demands Schmidt's reaction, while blocking the new KS Government!

By Amra Vrabac

The confirmation of the candidate for the composition of the new BiH Council of Ministers was welcomed today by the parties of the Trojka, SDP BiH, People and Justice, and Our Party, announcing the fastest possible formation of government at all levels.

This was particularly emphasized in the reaction from People and Justice.

“It is quite clear that the government at all levels in BiH will be formed in record time, which, considering that the FBiH Government and some cantonal governments have been operating in a technical mandate for four years, will be significant in terms of resolving the key priorities of BiH citizens,” reads part of the NIP statement after the confirmation of Borjana Krišto.

These same three parties announced on election night that they would continue the “positive story” and very quickly form the KS Government. However, two and a half months have passed since the elections, and the KS Government is nowhere in sight.

At yesterday's meeting of the party delegations of the five parties that will form the future KS Government (in addition to the Trojka parties, there are also the Party for BiH and For New Generations), it was emphasized that the new KS Government will not be formed for another two months and that they will wait for the formation of government at higher levels, even though there is no legal basis for this, except for political arbitrariness!

Therefore, although the parliamentary majority is clearly crystallized, new leadership has been elected, and delegates to the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament have been elected, political parties are blocking the establishment of the new Government due to certain calculations related to higher levels of government and the positions they will receive. The Sarajevo Canton is exclusively prolonging the mandate of the old Government due to political agreements, completely consciously.

Due to political arbitrariness, the Sarajevo Canton enters 2023 with temporary financing instead of an adopted KS Budget.

Although these parties are convincing us that it doesn't matter which party gets which portfolio, the statements of some officials clearly show that the KS Government is collateral damage from the agreements of the same parties at higher levels, given that the government is being formed simultaneously at the FBiH and state levels.

Few cadres, many positions. That is how the current situation regarding these political parties could be described in short. Our Party still insists on the position of KS Prime Minister, even though it has received this position twice with a much worse election result than other parties. The greatest support for this was given by People and Justice, which now wants to compensate with positions at the state level. However, the president of NS, Edin Forto, is interested in another position, and in that case, SDP would undertake the obligation to propose a candidate. However, Semir Efendić, the president of the Party for BiH, which, like Our Party, has five deputies in the KS Assembly, is also interested in the position of Prime Minister.

The official of Our Party, Sabina Ćudić, emphasized on Wednesday that the KS Prime Minister should remain the position of Our Party and that “those things are regulated differently” with Mr. Efendić. She told NIP and SDP that they have taken on too much, and that the SDP president is ready for a series of concessions for the position of FBiH Prime Minister. 

People and Justice are clearly in no hurry, considering that they have seven ministries in the current Government, and it has already been confirmed that they will have one or two fewer ministries in the new Government.

On the other hand, the KS Government will face problems with ministers and dual functions, which will have to be regulated from January 1st with the entry into force of the Law on Prevention and Suppression of Corruption in KS, and two ministers will have to choose which function they will perform. Adnan Delić is both the Minister of Economy of KS and a federal deputy, and Davor Čičić is the Minister of Finance and a cantonal deputy.

Just as these parties invoke the reaction of the High Representative Christian Schmidt for other levels of government due to the potential blockade of government formation, they should not be surprised if Schmidt actually includes all levels of government with a possible decision. 

Procedure for electing the KS Government

The Rules of Procedure of the KS Assembly stipulate that the candidate for Cantonal Prime Minister is proposed to the Speaker of the Assembly by the parliamentary groups. The Speaker of the Assembly, in consultation with their deputies, appoints the candidate for Cantonal Prime Minister.

The candidate for the position of Cantonal Prime Minister submits the proposal of candidates for ministers to the Speaker of the Assembly at least 12 days before the start of the Assembly session at which the election will be held. The Speaker of the Assembly immediately and without delay forwards this proposal to the Election and Appointment Committee, which, based on it, determines the Proposal of the Decision on the Confirmation of the Government of Sarajevo Canton.

The Assembly makes a decision on the confirmation of the Government as a whole, by public vote. The proposed Government takes office if a majority of all elected deputies vote for it. If the Proposal of the Decision on the Confirmation of the Government does not receive the necessary majority, the procedure is repeated.