Believe It or Not: 10 Years Ago, Dodik's Staša Košarac Dreamed of RS Not Existing!

The head of the SNSD caucus in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, Staša Košarac, one of the loudest defenders of Republika Srpska, just ten years ago dreamed of Republika Srpska not existing!, reports the Patria News Agency.

Although this may sound unbelievable to many, 10 years ago, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Košarac, along with Šahbaz Džihanović, Slavo Kukić, Mirko Pejanović, Vehid Šehić, and Miodrag Živanović, gathered in the Association 2005, wrote the 'Draft Platform for a New Democratic Constitution of the Republic of BiH'. This document proposed replacing entities with multi-ethnic regions reduced to local self-government, while significantly strengthening BiH's competencies.

Instead of the Council of Ministers of BiH, a Government of BiH would be introduced, and instead of the Presidency of BiH, a President of the Republic of BiH elected by a simple majority of the BiH Parliament?!

The proposed Constitution of the Republic of BiH, which Košarac advocated for at the time, envisages the establishment of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the 'bearer of the rule of law and uniform judicial practice'.

'The proposal for amendments and additions to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted all positive elements of the current Constitution and provided for additions and amendments to the part that prevents the general progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina', reads the Proposal, the summary of which is also available online at www.ustavnareforma.ba (pp. 16 and 17).

Among other things, it envisages establishing a 'balance between the need to protect the collective rights of the constituent peoples, with a significant reduction in the scope of these rights, and the need for efficient functioning of institutions'.

Three levels of government were introduced: instead of entities, five multi-ethnic regions were introduced (Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Zenica, Tuzla, and Mostar), the competencies of the BiH level government were expanded, and the powers of the regions were reduced to issues specific to local self-government.

Here is how these regions look and what they encompass:

BANJA LUKA (WESTERN) region, with its seat in Banja Luka, includes the following municipalities: Banja Luka, Bihać, Bosanska Dubica, Bosanska Gradiška, Bosanska Krupa, Bosanski Novi, Bosanski Petrovac, Bosansko Grahovo, Cazin, Čelinac, Drvar, Glamoč, Jajce, Ključ, Kotor Varoš, Laktaši, Mrkonjić Grad, Prijedor, Prnjavor, Sanski Most, Skender Vakuf, Srbac, Šipovo, and Velika Kladuša.

ZENICA (CENTRAL) REGION, with its seat in Zenica, is composed of the municipalities: Bosanski Brod, Bugojno, Busovača, Derventa, Doboj, Donji Vakuf, Gornji Vakuf, Kakanj, Kupres, Maglaj, Modriča, Novi Travnik, Teslić, Tešanj, Travnik, Vitez, Zavidovići, Zenica, and Žepče.

TUZLA (NORTHERN) REGION, with its seat in Tuzla, includes the municipalities: Banovići, Bijeljina, Bosanski Šamac, Bratunac, Brčko, Gračanica, Gradačac, Kalesija, Kladanj, Lopare, Lukavac, Odžak, Orašje, Srebrenica, Srebrenik, Šekovići, Tuzla, Ugljevik, Vlasenica, Zvornik, and Živinice.

SARAJevo (EASTERN) REGION, with its seat in Sarajevo, is composed of the municipalities: Breza, Čajniče, Foča, Fojnica, Goražde, Hadžići, Han Pijesak, Ilidža, Ilijaš, Kalinovik, Kiseljak, Kreševo, Novo Sarajevo, Olovo, Pale, Rogatica, Rudo, Sarajevo Centar, Sarajevo Novi Grad, Sarajevo Stari Grad, Sokolac, Trnovo, Vareš, Visoko, Višegrad, and Vogošća.

MOSTAR (SOUTHERN) REGION, with its seat in Mostar, includes the municipalities: Bileća, Čapljina, Čitluk, Gacko, Grude, Jablanica, Konjic, Široki Brijeg, Livno, Ljubinje, Ljubuški, Mostar, Neum, Nevesinje, Posušje, Prozor, Stolac, Tomislavgrad, and Trebinje.

Legislative power, according to this proposal, would be exclusively within the jurisdiction of BiH. In order not to have Republika Srpska, the House of Representatives, which would have 123 representatives, would not have entity voting, while the House of Peoples would have 58 delegates, 17 from each constituent people and 7 from national minorities and others. The competencies of the entity governments would be transferred to the BiH Government.

'The Government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina should consist of the Prime Minister and ministers: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, Minister of Finance and Treasury, Minister of Security, Minister of Defense, Minister of Economy, Minister of Science and Technological Development, Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, Minister of Agriculture and Veterinary Affairs, Minister of Spatial Planning and Ecology, Minister of Labor, Health and Social Protection, Minister for the Social Position of Children and Youth, Minister of Trade and Tourism, Minister for Human Rights, Minister for European Integration, Minister for Diaspora, and Minister for the Improvement of the Social Position of War Victims', states the proposal for the Constitution of the Republic of BiH, of which Staša Košarac is one of the authors.

(BNTV)