OPPOSITION COMMITTED CRIMINAL OFFENSE AGAINST SRPSKA BY ADOPTING LAW ON COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 16 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik stated that the Law on Council of Ministers, adopted in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly with the votes of all Bosniak MPs and opposition representatives from Srpska, is dangerous as it violates the Constitution and changes the legal system in BiH, adding that the opposition thereby committed a criminal offense against Republika Srpska.

"They adopted the Law on the Council of Ministers that overrides the constitutionally guaranteed right of Council of Ministers Chair to appoint ministers, with confirmation by the House of Representatives. They want to eliminate that provision and transfer the power to Muslim MPs," Dodik said.

He reminded that 22 votes constitute a majority in the Parliamentary Assembly, while the Bosniaks already have 24.

"The only thing bothering them is the inability to secure the national quota from Republika Srpska, but unfortunately, the opposition from Srpska gave them that quota," Dodik said.

He stressed that the law is dangerous for several reasons, primarily because it centralizes authority and turns the House of Representatives into an all-powerful body that both proposes and adopts, something he says is unconstitutional.

"But given the nature of the BiH Constitutional Court, one shouldn’t have illusions that the court will act constitutionally," Dodik added.

He emphasized this is unacceptable and that opposition MPs have committed a criminal act against Republika Srpska.

"They aim to exclude the House of Peoples, whose deputies are appointed by the Republika Srpska National Assembly, from any say in the Council of Ministers. They want appointments and dismissals to be handled by the House of Representatives, which would allow the 24 Bosniaks to always vote things through - removing both national and entity quotas and giving them power to do as they please," Dodik warned.

He described the move as a serious constitutional violation that cannot be justified as ordinary political struggle.

"If it is a political fight, then it’s a fight against Republika Srpska. I urge them to respect the constitutional provisions that regulate the composition and functioning of the Council of Ministers, instead of amending them without the position of the Srpska National Assembly," he said.

Dodik appealed to opposition representatives not to act based on daily emotions or hatred.

"You must understand what is in the interest of Srpska and act accordingly; otherwise you’ll cause serious harm. We won’t tolerate this. They won’t succeed in imposing or implementing it," he said.

Dodik added that their plan is to push this into the House of Peoples, where they expect the SNSD to reject it and fail to vote, and then accuse the SNSD of being unwilling to talk.

"This is a fait accompli strategy devised by some Bosniak politician to strengthen the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH. This amendment definitively alters the constitutional and legal order of BiH, and it is important for citizens to understand what is happening," said Dodik.

He also recalled a similar precedent with the Law on Public Procurement.

"We’ve had that law imposed by the High Representative for 20 years, even though he had no right to impose it, and yet they admit it still hasn’t solved anything. The current procurement system has become a major problem for development, with professional objectors disrupting procedures at every phase," Dodik said.

Srpska president pointed out that tenders drag on indefinitely and ultimately end up in the hands of small commissions.

"These people aren’t more enlightened or patriotic or honest than an entire parliament, which should be deciding on these matters, not them," he stated.

He warned that the amendments to the Public Procurement Law will lead to complete blockades.

"Again, this was done by Muslims from the Federation, and unfortunately, our opposition helped them. They have mayors in Bijeljina, Teslić, and Banja Luka,, This will affect their own people as well. But that’s not even the main issue. The point is that the society gets a system for fast and efficient procurement," said Dodik.

He added that in times of inflation, delays have severe consequences.

"Today you invite a tender, the procedures wrap up in September. Prices change in the meantime, and then you look for ways to adjust, and it’s portrayed as corruption. It’s not theft! The real theft is the system created at the BiH level," Dodik concluded in an interview with RTRS.