Presidency supports Zoran Tegeltija for Council of Minisiters Chairman

Fena

Bosnia's tripartite Presidency has finally expressed support for Zoran Tegeltija to serve as Bosnia's prime minsiter during Tuesday's special session, N1 learned.

The Bosniak and Croat Presidency members finally expressed support for Tegeltija, a member of the strongest Bosnian Serb party – the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) – following a joint meeting with ambassadors of the United States, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia.

The SNSD's spokesperson Radovan Kovacevic also told N1 that “Zoran Tegeltija is the Chairman-designate for the Council of Ministers,” and that he could not provide any other information.

After the October 2018 general election, Bosnia and Herzegovina was supposed to form its Council of Ministers and to elect the Chairman to lead it.

The Chairman-designate said that his priorities for the next four years would not be Bosnia’s NATO accession process.

This sparked protests from all Bosniak and pro-Bosnian parties, saying he would not be elected until the country submits its Annual National Programme to NATO and confirms its cooperation with the Alliance.

When it comes to Bosnia’s NATO membership, its three largest ethnic groups stand divided on the issue. Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks support the country’s accession, while Bosnian Serbs are strictly against it, saying they will follow Serbia’s lead on this.

The Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) entity's National Assembly even adopted a Declaration stipulating the entity will remain militarily neutral and that they will not join any military alliance.