The political crisis in the Una-Sana Canton took on a new twist after the Una Sana Canton (USK) Assembly voted with 16 votes of no confidence in the Government headed by Mustafa Ružnić. However, the process of forming a new government was stopped after the activation of the mechanism for the protection of the vital national interest.
Before the no-confidence vote, Prime Minister Mustafa Ružnić addressed the MPs, who at the beginning of his presentation congratulated the new parliamentary majority.
“Everyone has the right, who has 16 signatures, to form a new majority. We all know the election and appointment process well,” said Ružnić.
However, he pointed out that he believes that a different procedure should have been applied when deciding on a vote of no confidence in the Government, referring to the Rules of Procedure of the USK Assembly and the issue of protecting the vital national interest.
Ružnić stated that, according to his interpretation of the Rules of Procedure, the vote of no confidence in the Government should have been voted on by the people’s clubs.
“When it comes to these points and the vital national interest, the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly should have been applied. You should have proposed an amendment, because paragraph 4 of Article 60 says that in certain cases a different procedure must be implemented,” he said.
During his address, the chairman of the USK Assembly, Nisvet Jusić, interrupted him, explaining that he should return to the topic of the work of the Government, and not to procedural issues and the vital national interest.
Ružnić then thanked the employees of the USK Government, officials, associates and partners with whom, as he said, he cooperated during his mandate.
In the end, he repeated that he does not believe that the procedure for his dismissal was carried out in accordance with the regulations.
“I took an oath to protect the Constitution of the Una-Sana Canton. That’s why I’m looking back at the issue of vital national interest. I believe that no confidence in the Government must be voted on by the people’s clubs. I will not hand over the Government without a court decision,” said Ružnić.
Vital national interest activated
A few hours later, an additional twist came when the vice-chairman of the USK Assembly and head of the Club of Serbs, Mladen Lonić, activated the mechanism for the protection of the vital national interest.
Lonić challenged the appointment of new working bodies and the chairman of the Assembly, stating that the proposal of the Commission for Elections and Appointments did not include a representative of the Serbian people.
Due to the activation of this mechanism, the process of appointing a new USK Government was stopped. The Constitutional Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the final say on disputed issues.
Let us recall that the USK Assembly previously voted 16 votes of no confidence in the Government of Mustafa Ružnić, but that did not end the political transition in the canton.
