Bosnia forms government for Bosniak, Croat entity

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Bosnia and Herzegovina formed a government Friday for the Bosniak, Croat federation entity, one of two entities of the country.

The House of Representatives of Bosnia’s Federation (FBiH) entity Parliament appointed the new government after the High Representative used his substantial Bonn powers to ensure government formation by imposing new changes to its Constitution on Thursday.

It was Christian Schmidt’s second intervention in the Constitution in less than seven months.

The former FBiH government led by Prime Minister Fadil Novalic (Democratic Action Party - SDA) was in a technical mandate for four years after its mandate ended.

The decision was made to confirm the new composition of the FBiH government in a 51- 0 vote, with one abstention.

A protest in front of parliament took place during the session until the appointment of the new government.

The new government will be led by the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Nermin Niksic.

Schmidt announced Thursday that he used his Bonn powers to form the FBiH's government.

According to the decision published by the Office of the High Representative (OHR), the signatures of the vice presidents of the FBiH, which prevented the establishment of the entity's government, are not required.

''The Prime Minister, Vice-Presidents and Ministers of the Government of the Federation proposed by the President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the draft decision she signed on March 30, 2023, are hereby considered appointed,'' it said.

Schmidt said the FBiH was in a political deadlock and split between political blocs.

''For this reason, I have made a decision to unblock the appointment of the government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,'' he said.

- General election in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The general election in Bosnia and Herzegovina was held Oct. 2.

The Presidential Council tasked Borjana Kristo from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) to form the government at the state level at a session on Dec. 22.

Milorad Dodik was elected President of Republika Srpska (RS) entity, of the two entities of Bosnia, and the RS government was established Dec. 21.

Lidija Bradara was appointed President of the FBiH on Feb. 28.

Bradara announced March 30 that he had given Niksic a mandate to form a federation government.

The coalition formed by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Eight Alliance in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina needed the approval of Refik Lendo, vice president of the entity from the Democratic Action Party (SDA), to form the entity's government.

But Lendo did not want to approve a governing coalition that does not include his party, the SDA, which won the most votes in the elections.

The FBiH Constitution stipulated that the government proposed by its president must be approved by the two vice presidents before the government can be formed.

To overcome the government crisis, the SDA could relent and Lendo give approval to the current government, or there could be a coalition with the SDA, in which case the HDZ would have to back down, or Schmidt would have to amend the Constitution, using his so-called Bonn powers.

Bosnians are furious about what they call Schmidt’s interference.

Last week hundreds of demonstrators protested Schmidt and demanded officials respect the county’s independence, territorial integrity, democracy and human rights.

The angry crowd chanted for Schmidt to resign and go back to his native Germany.

- High representative's controversial laws

Schmidt announced on the night of the Oct. 2 general elections that he had enacted controversial reforms to the election laws

After polls closed in the presidential and parliamentary election, Schmidt said he had signed two decisions for the functionality and timely implementation of election results in a document he called the "functionality package," stating that they were related to the government and coalition-building processes.

The decision was fiercely criticized by both politicians and the public.

The Office of the High Representative was established in the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the 1992 - 1995 war in Bosnia Herzegovina. The office oversees the implementation of the peace agreement on behalf of the international community

That person has the authority to dismiss anyone who interferes with the implementation of peace in the country, including members of the Presidential Council, and to pass laws as necessary.
The powers are dubbed “Bonn powers.”