Parliamentary stasis: Absence of SNSD and HDZ BiH delegates collapses emergency session

Despite a ten-minute recess called by House Speaker Kemal Ademovic in a final bid to secure the required numbers, the seating remained unchanged. Following the break, Ademovic informed those present that only nine delegates were in attendance: five from the Bosniak Caucus, and two each from the Croat and Serb Caucuses.

"I note that the conditions for a quorum have not been met, and I therefore adjourn this session," Ademovic announced.

The Speaker had convened the urgent sitting to address a single legislative priority, a request from the House of Representatives to fast-track amendments to the Law on Excise Tax. The proposed legislation would grant the Council of Ministers the authority to temporarily abolish or reduce excise duties on petroleum products in response to market volatility or other justified emergencies. Under the terms of the bill, such measures would be limited to a maximum of six months within any calendar year.

The initiative for the session was spearheaded by seven delegates, including Zelimir Neskovic, who had previously described the fuel price situation in the country as "more than alarming."

The proposal, originally tabled by MP Sasa Magazinovic, was passed by the House of Representatives on 16 March under an urgent procedure. Magazinovic argued that the amendment is essential to allow the state to react swiftly to international market shocks, which have exerted significant inflationary pressure on the cost of living and the wider economy.

Under the current legal framework, the Council of Ministers lacks the flexible instruments required to mitigate such sudden price hikes. Proponents of the bill maintain that the legal basis for temporary duty reductions is a necessary safeguard for both the economy and the standard of living of citizens during extraordinary market circumstances.