Trojka and HDZ negotiating election of Constitutional Court judges: Eliminate Faris Vehabović, appoint Lejla Konjić and Ivan Matešić

(Patria) - The process of electing two judges from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is still not concluded.

Representatives of Trojka and HDZ are trying, through the Working Group responsible for evaluation, in which they have a majority, to eliminate "undesirable" candidates and promote those politically closest to them.

The same scenario is happening as during the previous two elections of judges to the BiH Constitutional Court from the House of Representatives of the FBiH, when Trojka supported Marin Vukoja, a candidate close to the HDZ, while HDZ supported Trojka's favorite - Larisa Velić.

The Working Group for the election of judges to the BiH Constitutional Court, formed in November last year, evaluated the candidates, but interviews with each of them are yet to be conducted.

As Istraga.ba has learned, Ivan Matešić received the highest rating on the list of candidates who are supposed to fill the position of Judge Galić.

Zlatko Brkić is in second place, and Katica Artuković is in third. Monika Mijić and Ivona Jukić are in third and fourth place.

On the list of candidates who will replace Ćeman, candidate Lejla Konjić-Dragović received the highest rating, followed by Demirel Delić and Dženeta Omerdić.

As Istraga has learned, Trojka and HDZ support candidates Lejla Konjić-Dragović and Ivan Matešić, although there are disagreements within SDP itself on whether to support Konjić, who enjoys the support of MP Damir Mašić, or Dženeta Omerdić, advisor to the BiH Presidency Chairman Denis Bećirović.

However, the current position of the two candidates on the ranking list shows that Konjić has an advantage within Trojka.

The ruling coalition is trying to eliminate one of the candidates, the current judge of the European Court of Human Rights Faris Vehabović, from the list by ensuring his name does not even appear before the deputies of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament during the election.

It is known that HDZ representatives are outraged by Vehabović's work, whom they have accused for years of being close to the Democratic Front.

When the House of Representatives elected Vukoja, he was the only candidate voted for, which was the condition of the HDZ to vote only for the first candidate on the list, while, paradoxically, during the election of Velić, the entire list of the highest-rated candidates was presented to the deputies.

Even such a possibility should not be ruled out, given that it has been shown that representatives of the HDZ and Trojka are prone to violating the law.

The Working Group consists of Mladen Bošković (HDZ), who is also its president. Then, members Senad Subašić (SDP), Irfan Durić (NES and PDA), Mustafa Šabić and Joko Radić (on behalf of the Association of Judges in FBiH).

As Istraga previously reported, the House of Representatives of the FBiH will elect two judges simultaneously, after Valerija Galić and Mirsad Ćeman reached the age of seventy last year, which is the age limit for holding this position.

The competition and election procedure were deliberately combined, with the aim of the HDZ and Trojka ensuring that candidates closest to them are elected to this significant position.

A total of 30 candidates applied for the competition: Tanja Hadžagić, Ivona Jukić, Muhamed Mujakić, Monika Mijić, Josip Dolić, Alma Čolo, Adis Poljić, Smajo Šabić, Samir Župarević, Amir Alispahić, Dženeta Omerdić, Franjo Dragičević, Sanela Paripović, Filip Novaković, Lejla Konjić-Dragović, Faris Vehabović, Lana Mujanović, Almina Pilav, Jasminka Džumhur, Ivan Matešić, Šejla Bakić-Šolbić, Juso Hadžić, Katica Artuković, Demirel Delić, Zlatko Brkić, Željka Marković-Sekulić, Mladen Šain, Ivana Matijević, Amir Pilav and Ajsela Memišević.