KS Assembly to Decide on KS Tourist Board Today

The Assembly of Sarajevo Canton is currently in session. Among other things, the delegates will discuss the establishment of a new tourist board in Sarajevo Canton, writes Patria.

Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Elmedin Konaković announced the closure of the existing Tourist Board of Sarajevo Canton and the establishment of a new one. This has triggered a wave of criticism against the prime minister, even among the delegates themselves.

Lawyer Ahmed Žilić warned the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton, members of the KS Government, and the Legal Counsel yesterday that establishing a new tourist board in Sarajevo Canton would be illegal, as the Law on Tourism of KS is still pending before the Constitutional Court of FBiH. 

The Constitutional Court of FBiH is determining whether the Law on Tourism in KS was passed in accordance with the Constitution of FBiH. No one knows whether the Constitutional Court will declare the law valid or will "overturn" it, and for that reason, this law is invalid until the Court decides otherwise, writes Patria. 

The Assembly of Sarajevo Canton passed the Law on Tourism in KS at the end of April this year, but delegates from SDP, DF, BPS, and independent delegate Hamed Aljović, along with some delegates from SBB, requested an assessment of the constitutionality of the Law, stating that the procedure was not followed during the adoption of this law. The Canton did not receive consent from the Federation when adopting its own tourism law.

- The establishment of a new tourist board of Sarajevo Canton – which will be institutionally/federally unarticulated – calls into question the rule of law and the foundations of the constitutional and legal order in the Federation of BiH and Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in Sarajevo Canton. Only the Constitutional Court of FBiH is competent to resolve this serious institutional problem in FBiH that transcends the significance of tourism itself – warned lawyer Želić. 

Because, what would happen if the KS Assembly approved the establishment of a new tourist board in Sarajevo Canton, and a few days later the Constitutional Court of FBiH ruled that the Law on Tourism in KS was not passed in accordance with the Constitution of FBiH? Who will be responsible for that. 

- This concerns the VIOLATION of the constitutional and legal order of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (constitutional and legal order of Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina) by informal groups led by the Prime Minister of the Government of Sarajevo Canton, Elmedin Konaković, through attempts at extra-institutional – illegal – dismantling of the legitimate and legal Tourist Board of Sarajevo Canton – warned lawyer Žilić, in a letter he sent to the cantonal authorities on Monday.