SARAJEVO, Dec 4 (Hina) - The House of Representatives in the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina was constituted in Sarajevo on Wednesday. On this occasion the Party for Democratic Action (SDA) and the Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) demonstrated the functioning of an alliance established after the October 5 general election.
SARAJEVO, Dec 4 (Hina) - The House of Representatives in the
Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina was constituted
in Sarajevo on Wednesday. On this occasion the Party for Democratic
Action (SDA) and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) demonstrated
the functioning of an alliance established after the October 5
general election. #L#
Muhamed Ibrahimovic of the (Muslim) SDA was elected new chairman of
the House of Representatives while Josip Merdzo of the HDZ, a Croat,
was appointed as a vice-chairman.
They won 51 votes from a total of 98 MPs in the House with the SDA and
HDZ having together 48 seats.
The tight majority of the SDA and HDZ was ensured with three votes
from minor parties.
SDA and HDZ however did not manage to carry out the complete
constitution of the House of Representatives because the other
vice-chairman could not appointed because there was not one Serb
representative.
Parties with deputies of the Serb origin - above all the Social
Democratic Party (SDP) and the Party of Independent Social
Democrats (SNSD) did not wish to nominate their candidates because
they rejected any form of co-operation with national parties.
The Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina also voted against the candidates
nominated by the SDA and HDZ.
This is similar to the situation that occurred in Republika Srpska
when the parliament in that entity could not appoint a vice chairman
representing the Croat people because the New Croatian Initiative
(NHI) also rejected to form a coalition with national parties.
The toilsome efforts to constitute the parliaments in the Serb
entity and on the national level is the result of the fact that
neither the national bloc nor the bloc of moderate parties managed
to ensure a majority in the assembly at any level.
Key players continue to be the Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH)
of Haris Silajdzic that has agreed to co-operate with the SDA only
if ministerial offices, earmarked for Bosnian Muslims, are divided
equally between the two parties.
SDA however, believes that this demand is unacceptable because the
SBiH in that case would gain more authority than it deserved on the
basis of the election.
Negotiations between the SDA and the SBiH were held over the last
two weeks but have been halted although it is expected they will
resume in about ten days.
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