In Bosnia and Herzegovina, new government forms after high representative uses Bonn powers to amend constitution

Bosnia-Herzegovina's House of Representatives has appointed a new government in an urgent session held on April 28, a day after the high representative of the international community imposed changes to the country's constitution and the criminal laws. The 16 new ministerial positions will be split among members of the Croatian Democratic Union, the Social Democratic Party, the Croatian Democratic Union 1990, and the political parties Nasa Stranka and Narod i Pravda. Vice President Refik Lendo opposed the new government appointments, demanding his Party of Democratic Action be given a portfolio. His party organized protests outside the parliament during the vote. Christian Schmidt, the high representative of the international community in Bosnia, on April 27 made changes to the constitution and the criminal laws of Bosnia's entities to facilitate the formation of the new regional government and prevent election fraud. Schmidt's amendments to the constitution were imposed on an interim basis to help form the new regional government after a deadlock lasting almost seven months following elections in October. The changes will take effect in one year unless the parliament passes its own version of the amendments. Schmidt, who has vast powers as the international community's envoy to Bosnia, amended the constitution so that only two out of three federation presidency members need to support a proposed government in order to forward it to parliament.
Read the full article here: Radio Free Europe