Bosnia’s PM Sacks Ministers on SDP Demand

The head of the state government has dismissed two ministers and a deputy minister, acting on the demand of the ruling Social Democrats that the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, should leave government now that their coalition is over.Bosnia’s Prime Minister, Vjekoslav Bevanda, dismissed Sadik Ahmetovic, Security Minister, Muhamed Ibrahimovic, Defence Minister, and Fuad Kasumovic, Deputy Finance Minister, acting on the demand of the SDP after its coalition with the SDA broke up on May 31.

Bevanda on Monday said he expected no problems with this in the State Parliament, which is to confirm his decision and which reflects new political arrangements among the parliamentary parties.“I do not expect any problems and I hope everything will be finished soon,” Bevanda said.

According to an agreement reached between the leaders of the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, and the SDP, Dragan Covic and Zlatko Lagumdzija respectively, the changes in the state government match a similar process going on in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the larger of Bosnia’s two autonomous entities.

The SDA criticised the decision harshly on Monday, describing Bevanda as “a mailman of Zlatko Lagumdzija, who has only deepened the crisis at state level and is not up to having such an important seat”. The SDA added that the Prime Minister should resign.

The political crisis between the SDP and SDA unfolded over the 2012 state budget, which the SDA refused to support, claiming it was too restrictive.

The SDP then terminated its coalition with the SDA at all levels of government and demanded that the Prime Minister dismiss the SDA ministers from the state government.

Meanwhile, the SDP has signed a new coalition deal with the Alliance for the Better Future of Bosnia, SBB, led by the owner of Bosnia’s most read daily newspaper, Dnevni avaz.

SBB chief Fahrudin Radoncic has already said he intends to take the post of Security Minister once the SDA minister is dismissed.

The State Defence Ministry is likely to go to the SDP and the position of Deputy Finance Minister to an SBB candidate.

In the Federation entity, the new parliamentary majority is still trying to dismiss the SDA ministers, and ministers from other parties too, since the HDZ aims to enter the entity government.

Lawmakers of the SDP, SBB and HDZ said that at the entity parliamentary session on June 26, they will try to vote out the Parliament’s President, Denis Zvizdic, who comes from the SDA.