A dangerous erosion of the constitutional order is underway in Bosnia and Herzegovina!

By: A. Čorbo-Zećo

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are witnessing a serious erosion of the constitutional order. And it is not just about the constant pressures from Milorad Dodik; we have now officially gone a step further. The Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto, is using the same pattern.

The removal of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina's competencies is not accidental, nor is it limited to the issue of appointing the chief negotiator for the EU. Once we establish a practice where key appointments are made outside the Constitution and outside the Presidency itself, doors are opened for further concentration of power and politicization of state institutions.

For example, transferring competencies from the Presidency to the Council of Ministers creates a dangerous precedent. The next step could be shifting responsibility to the entities, and even the cantons, on key issues such as EU integration, where the Constitution clearly defines the role of the Presidency. Such a practice leads to a systemic violation of the Constitution and the collapse of the state's functionality.

It is no coincidence that the new party president, Sabina Ćudić, announced that her party advocates for the indirect election of the Presidency member from the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a reduction of its powers.

Although this may sound like a “modernization” of the political system, in reality it represents a step towards further centralization of power and further undermining of the constitutional balance.

Even Elmedin Konaković attempted to transfer the Presidency's competencies regarding the appointment of the chief negotiator for the EU. Every such attempt is dangerous because it weakens the institution that, according to the Constitution, is responsible for the foreign policy and strategic decisions of the state.

If this practice continues, Bosnia and Herzegovina risks having key state decisions made outside the Constitution, leading to institutional degradation and destabilization of the country.

This is not a matter of one appointment or one party; it is about the fundamental ability of the state to function in accordance with its Constitution.

Decisions made outside the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina are not just a procedural problem, but a serious threat to democracy and the constitutional order itself.