The Constitutional-Legal Committee of Bosnia’s House of Representatives said that constitutional amendments proposed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which would, among other things, transform the tripartite Presidency and strengthen the powers of the parliament, are not in line with Bosnia’s Constitution.
According to the proposal, instead of a three-member Presidency, the country would have one president who would have two deputies that are directly elected members of the parliament, nominated by 20 percent of the upper house and 10 percent of the lower house.
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The number of lawmakers in the lower house would grow from 42 to 87 and in the upper house from 15 to 21.
Two-thirds of the MPs in the lower house would be elected from Bosnia’s semi-autonomous Federation (FBiH) entity, shared mostly between Bosniaks and Croats, and one third from the other entity, the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS).
Three seats would be occupied by representatives from the so-called “Others” – people who do not belong to the three dominant groups in the country.
It is the failed 2006 April package of Constitutional Reforms with one correction which allows the implementation of the ruling of the human rights court in Strasbourg which ordered Bosnia to allow minorities to fully participate in government the same way Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats do.
The House of Representatives is to discuss the opinion of its Constitutional-Legal Committee regarding the amendments on Wednesday.
