Vjekoslav Bevanda To Be Named Bosnian PM
A former entity finance minister has been put forward as Bosnia's new premier, 15 months after general elections in the country.
The Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, sent a proposal to the State Presidency naming Vjekoslav Bevanda as its choice for Bosnian prime minister one day after the main political parties in the country reached agreement to form a government.
The HDZ and their sister party HDZ 1990 were promised the prime minister’s post and two other ministries under the deal, which came after months of political wrangling.
The State Presidency confirmed to Balkan Insight that the HDZ sent a proposal on Thursday with Bevanda’s name on it, which must be confirmed by the three members of the Presidency when the required background data is received.
“They still must officially deliver certain documentation on Bevanda like his personal data or his previous career achievements,” Damir Becirovic, media advisor to Bosnian Presidency Chairman Zeljko Komsic, told Balkan Insight.
Once the Presidency has received the necessary paperwork, it will send the proposal to the Central Election Commission, CIK, and the State Investigative and Protection Agency, SIPA, to check the data and ensure that Bevanda has not committed any irregularities related to his work. The State Presidency will then send the proposal to the State Parliament to be approved.
At the moment, Bevanda is a member of the parliament of the Bosniak-Croat federation, one of Bosnia’s two entities. He served as the entity’s finance minister and vice president of the federation government from 2006-2010.
The leaders of Bosnia’s six political parties, which were elected in a general election in October 2010, agreed on the formation of a new government on Wednesday, breaking the political deadlock that had gripped the country.
The government will be made up of ten ministers; four will represent Bosniaks, three Serbs and three Croats.
Foreign institutions have said they are satisfied that Bosnian politicians reached agreement, as the country can now get back on track towards EU accession.
Bosnia’s High Representative, Valentin Inzko, congratulated the country’s politicians but also said they will have to work hard to accomplish EU and NATO accession requirements.
“Many important challenges will lie ahead of a new Council of Ministers in the months ahead,” said Inzko, “…challenges that must be overcome in order to move this country forward in a way that will benefit the citizens.”
The head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia, Peter Sorensen, said he is encouraged to see that the spirit of compromise has prevailed after months of political deadlock and urged the relevant authorities to implement the agreement without any further delay.
