Špirić refuses to put to vote the request of eight delegates on SNSD officials' dismissal

(Patria) - The session of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament has begun. The Speaker of the House, Nikola Špirić, read out all agenda items.

"Regarding the order of items, laws have priority and those are the first items," Špirić said.

Nenad Vuković, delegate in the Serb Club, took the floor.

"Today we are considering 56 items, and that is because we have not had regular sessions. Therefore, the leadership of the House of Peoples should provide an explanation. You know when you stopped scheduling sessions. When we voted for my participation in the commissions. From that moment, November 12, you stopped scheduling regular sessions. Is that in accordance with the Rules of Procedure? Is it possible that you give yourselves the right not to work. The Constitution did not define that you should sit there. This agenda represents preparation for leaving the session. The problem is that the Collegium does not reflect the majority will of the House and you cannot work regularly because you are afraid of dismissal. The Collegium should reflect the majority will of the House. And as long as you are there, and you know you don't have support. And that's why we have such an agenda today," said Vuković.

He proposed the formation of a temporary investigative committee to establish the facts in the origin of the Viaduct case.

"The investigative committee has the task to conduct public or closed hearings and to collect all documentation and to review the origin of the dispute. It will prepare a report which will be sent to the House of Peoples. Due to the damage of 110 million KM, there is an interest in the work of this committee," said Vuković.

Šefik Džaferović said that delegates from the Bosniak people Safet Softić, Džemal Smajić, Šefik Džaferović, Kemal Ademović and Dženan Đonlagić, from the Croat people Zlatko Miletić, and from the Serb people Nenad Vuković and Želimir Nešković, requested that the dismissal of Nikola Špirić (SNSD) and the dismissal of SNSD ministers be discussed first at today's session, and then everything else.

"We request that the dismissal of Nikola Špirić be placed as the second item on the agenda, and item three be the dismissal of Staša Košarac and Srđan Amidžić. This request has been submitted to the registry and delivered to the delegates. The reasons for this are very clear. We cannot tolerate violence against the Rules of Procedure. The member of the Collegium from the Bosniak people was not consulted at all for this session. Items from the 12th emergency session are placed at the top of today's agenda, and from the 11th emergency session at the end. Nowhere does it say that laws must be at the top of the agenda. Since you as a Collegium cannot agree, eight delegates have proposed that the House decide on it. Put our proposal to a vote," said Džaferović.

Member of the Collegium Dragan Čović asked for the floor and said that only ministers and deputies from the Croat people are present at today's session.

"This proposal of your colleague, Džaferović, has received support in an interesting way, and with that, you have managed not to leave the session. So someone else will be interested in leaving the session, as it seems to me. We can also comment on the interpretation of the Rules of Procedure, and the problem is that it is changed from session to session. We are also trying to interpret the Constitution arbitrarily. It is my right to say that no point has been violated," said Čović.

He stated that he also rejects the proposal to be on the Investigative Committee regarding Viaduct.

"It is only a question of who will leave this session first. There is no parliamentary majority here. We are in an exceptional crisis, while institutions of BiH are being attacked, and this time financially. Tomorrow we can be under the blockade of all institutions. We must again put the Election Law on the agenda and eliminate the possibility of two Bosniak members of the Presidency blocking the Budget for 2025. I have asked the BiH Prosecutor's Office to investigate this with an emphasis on the two Bosniak members of the BiH Presidency," said Čović.

Delegate Dženan Đonlagić (DF) told Čović that he cannot choose whether to be a member of the committee or not if the majority in the House votes for it. Đonlagić reminded that he himself opposed membership in an investigative committee of the House of Peoples, and despite that, they appointed him.

Also, Đonlagić reminded Čović that the draft budget from the BiH Presidency was withdrawn by the BiH Minister of Finance and Treasury, and that the issue was again placed on the Council of Ministers of BiH when the draft was amended by a vote.

While delegate Đonlagić was speaking, Špirić told him "time, it has expired", and eventually Špirić turned off Đonlagić's microphone, to which Đonlagić replied "your time expired long ago".

Čović, responding to Đonlagić, said that the House can vote for anything, stating that he believes that judicial institutions should conduct the investigation into "Viaduct", not parliamentary committees.

Šefik Džaferović said that the Speaker of the House is grossly violating the Rules of Procedure and abusing his official position.

"In a situation where there is no consensus in the Collegium, the Speaker does not allow the House to decide on it. You will not put our proposal to a vote. Okay. Break for 30 minutes, and then you will be informed," said Džaferović.