Official Gazette of BiH Refuses to Publish Conclusions of the BiH House of Representatives Ordering Borjana Krišto to Appoint Vukanović as Minister!

(Patria) - The Official Gazette of BiH has not published the conclusions adopted by the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly at its session on 15 May, which relate to the appointment of the Minister of Security of BiH, i.e., that the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Borjana Krišto, initiate the appointment procedure and submit the proposal for the Minister of Security of BiH for verification.

As Patria learns, a response from the Official Gazette of BiH stated that it is not customary to publish such conclusions in the Official Gazette of BiH.

However, given that the head of the Official Gazette is Dragan Prusina, a HDZ cadre, and that the adopted conclusions directly concern Borjana Krišto, one of the most important HDZ cadres and the first associate of Dragan Čović, it is clear why there is resistance to publishing the conclusions, even though publication in the Official Gazette is an integral part of the conclusions.

These are the conclusions of five caucuses: SDP BiH, NIP, Naša stranka - BHI KF, the Mixed Caucus (Emrić, Hodžić, Mehmedović), and SDS-PDP-Za pravdu i red, which number 19 representatives.

1. The House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH instructs the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH to, in accordance with Articles 10 and 14 of the Law on the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, appoint and submit for verification the proposal for the Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was submitted to her on 18 March 2025 by the heads of five caucuses in the House of Representatives.
2. If the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH fails to act in accordance with point 1 of this conclusion, it will be treated as a continuation of the flagrant violation of the Law on the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and obstruction of the efficiency of work in the Council of Ministers of BiH.
3. This conclusion enters into force on the day of its adoption and will be published in the "Official Gazette of BiH".

These caucuses submitted a proposal on 18 March to appoint Nebojša Vukanović as Minister of Security of BiH, given that the position has been vacant since 23 January, when Nenad Nešić was dismissed following his resignation.

However, the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Borjana Krišto, has repeatedly stated that she will not forward the proposal submitted by these caucuses because there is no political agreement.

"The position of minister, as well as my position as chairwoman, is filled based on the proposal of political parties in accordance with the political agreement reached within the coalition.

Today, we only have the agreement signed during the establishment of the Council of Ministers, and I, as chairwoman, have a clearly defined role in it regarding which position belongs to which political option and which people," Krišto told the media on 27 May.

The current agreement is the one between HDZ, SNSD, and the Troika parties, which divided the positions in the Council of Ministers of BiH.

The President of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, said last week that there are no conditions for the reconstruction of the Council of Ministers of BiH, thereby sending a direct message to his partners in the Troika, as well as to SNSD, that he will keep them in power and that there will be no appointment of Vukanović.

The Law on the Council of Ministers of BiH also does not favor the newly established majority in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly. Even if they initiate the dismissal of the chairwoman, both houses of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly must confirm it, and the previous composition remains until a new one is confirmed.

After the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly adopted amendments to the Law on the Council of Ministers of BiH at its last session, Čović opposed the law, stating that it cannot pass because it is unconstitutional and that the discussion ends there. Therefore, it is clear that this law will not appear on the agenda of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, at least as long as Nikola Špirić presides.

It is increasingly likely that the Ministry of Security of BiH will continue to be led by Deputy Minister Ivica Bošnjak, giving HDZ an additional position in the Council of Ministers of BiH. Thus, in addition to Krišto, they also lead the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, and the security portfolio, which amounts to four positions out of ten.

The Minister of Defense of BiH, Zukan Helez, said on Sunday that he will block the appointments of directors and deputy directors of SIPA until the Minister of Security of BiH is appointed.

Helez is a member of the Collegium that sets the agenda for sessions of the Council of Ministers of BiH.