After the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (NARS) two days ago elected a new entity government headed by Savo Minic, Bosniak representatives in RS institutions questioned the legitimacy and constitutionality of the entire process. The key reason is that the nominee for prime minister was proposed by Milorad Dodik, whose mandate as president of the RS was revoked by the Central Election Commission (CEC)of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and the Court of BiH confirmed a ban on holding public office for the next six years.
“The government is disputed from the very beginning”
The president of the Bosniak Caucus in the RS Council of Peoples, Alija Tabakovic, assessed that the government was unconstitutionally elected. “Considering that the nominee was proposed by Milorad Dodik, who, according to the decision of the CEC and the Court of BiH, does not have the right to perform that function, the entire process is thereby brought into question. Appeals to the Constitutional Court of RS and BiH will certainly follow,” Tabakovic explained.
A similar opinion was expressed by representative Ramiz Salkic, emphasizing that this is a completely unconstitutional procedure. “It is clear that Dodik did not have the right to propose the nominee, and thus the legitimacy of the new government is also called into question. I expect legal procedures both before the Constitutional Court and before the prosecutor’s office,” Salkic emphasized. He added that this is a continuation of the policy of confrontation with BiH institutions and the raising of nationalist rhetoric for the purpose of homogenizing voters in the RS.
The vice president of RS, Camil Durakovic, warned that the election of Minic’s government only deepens the political crisis. “Such a government will cause harm to the citizens. We have seen that the highest legislative body has subordinated itself to one man who is no longer president. We are now living in an illegal legal order in which Dodik controls all processes,” said Durakovic. He believes that the new government will be contested before the courts and that “no one will cooperate with it except themselves.”
New government with old faces
In Minic’s government, the majority of ministers from the previous composition remained, while four new names were introduced. Goran Selak took over the justice portfolio, Borivoje Golubovic education, Andjelka Kuzmic agriculture, and Zoran Stevanovic transportation. Sinisa Karan and Zeljko Budimir swapped the portfolios of internal affairs and higher education.
