SARAJEVO, Nov 28 (Hina) - The Office of the High Representative to Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR) expects the constitution of new parliaments at the state and entity levels within 30 days in compliance to the Constitution, and calls on
those whose term of office is expiring to ensure timely and unimpeded transfer of authority, a spokesman for the OHR said on Tuesday. The constitutional time terms must be respected. Cantonal assemblies within the (Croat-Moslem) Federation must be set up within 10 days and state and entity parliaments must hold founding sessions within 30 days, spokesman Oleg Milisic said. Newly-elected officials will be asked to submit detailed reports on their own and their families' income scale, in line with rules of the Provisional Election Commission (PEC). The OHR spokesman conveyed the official interpretation of those rules under which a person, removed from a party rost
SARAJEVO, Nov 28 (Hina) - The Office of the High Representative to
Bosnia-Herzegovina (OHR) expects the constitution of new
parliaments at the state and entity levels within 30 days in
compliance to the Constitution, and calls on those whose term of
office is expiring to ensure timely and unimpeded transfer of
authority, a spokesman for the OHR said on Tuesday.
The constitutional time terms must be respected. Cantonal
assemblies within the (Croat-Moslem) Federation must be set up
within 10 days and state and entity parliaments must hold founding
sessions within 30 days, spokesman Oleg Milisic said.
Newly-elected officials will be asked to submit detailed reports on
their own and their families' income scale, in line with rules of
the Provisional Election Commission (PEC).
The OHR spokesman conveyed the official interpretation of those
rules under which a person, removed from a party roster by the PEC's
decision owing the party' violation of electoral rules, or replaced
by the decision of the High Representative, would not be able to
assume any elected office.
According to this interpretation, a new strongman of the Croatian
Democratic Union of BiH (HDZ BiH), Dragan Covic, will not be allowed
to take over any office the head of which is elected. The removal of
the incumbent Deputy Premier of the Bosnian Federation Covic was
the consequence of sanctions taken against the HDZ for holding a
referendum on the same day of the 11 November general election and
thus breaching the ban on electioneering.
It is also evident that the incumbent Premier and the second
strongest man of the (Moslem) Party of Democratic Action (SDA),
Edhem Bicakcic, will not remain in the office of the federal PM.
According to a Sarajevo daily, Bicakcic proposed himself his
candidacy for the Federation's President.
A spokesman for the OSCE mission, Luke Zahner, told reporters that
he did not expect particular problems in the process of the
establishment of new authorities.
I believe that it is the joint interest that parliaments be founded
as soon as possible, the spokesman for the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said adding that the OSCE
mission would decide on sanctions in case of any obstruction.
On Monday announcing the official and confirmed results of the
elections, the mission's head Robert Barry said the most important
task for him and the High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch would
now be the implementation of the election outcome.
He called on the newly-elected president of the Serb entity, Mirko
Sarovic, to help establish new bodies of authorities in a faster
manner.
Representatives of most influential parties that have to date been
the opposition, are now conducting intensive talks on possible
post-election coalitions.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader, Zlatko Lagumdzija, has
held either joint or separate talks with Haris Silajdzic of the
Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH), Kresimir Zubak of the New
Croatian Initiative (NHI), Milorad Dodik of the Independent Social
Democrats (SNSD) and Mladen Ivanic of the Party of Democratic
Progress (PDP).
(hina) ms