Osmanović: SDA wanted the Law on the Establishment of the Fund to be Adopted

With 48 votes in favor, 12 against, and 11 abstentions, the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament did not adopt the Bill on the Establishment of the Federal Fund for Assistance to Disaster-Stricken Areas on the Territory of FBiH, writes the Patria News Agency.

The law was supported by representatives of the ruling coalition SDP – SDA. However, almost half of the SDA representatives were not present at the session, which led to speculation that the SDA had deliberately tricked its coalition partners from the SDP. However, Ismet Osmanović, president of the SDA Caucus, sharply rejected these speculations and stated in an interview with the Patria News Agency that the SDA wanted the law to be adopted in the best possible form and had proposed five amendments, which the FBiH Government accepted.

- Nine MPs from the SDA were absent. Some from the Una-Sana Canton, some had to attend a session of the Presidency, and some had sessions of their Main Boards, as it is the time for compiling election lists. I warned the Speaker of the House about this, but he convened the session anyway. I hope we will adopt this law next week in a different form – Osmanović told NAP.

He further noted that MPs from other political parties were also missing and that there was no question of the SDA allegedly tricking the SDP.

- Why would we do that? Only two more votes were needed for the law to be adopted. But, two other laws were adopted – Osmanović said.

The Bill on Financing Assistance for the Removal of Consequences of Natural Disasters and the Reconstruction of Areas Affected by Natural Disasters was adopted with 56 votes in favor, 12 against, and three abstentions, while the Bill on the Procedure for Transfer of Ownership of Real Estate Owned by the FBiH, Cantons, Cities, and Municipalities in Disaster-Stricken Areas also received support, with 55 representatives voting for, eight against, and 10 abstaining. 

This act creates prerequisites for the allocation of land, free of charge, to families or business entities that have lost property due to landslides and can no longer return to those areas.