BUDGET REFLECTS POLITICAL EFFORTS AIMED AT UNDERMINING SRPSKA INSTITUTIONS

SARAJEVO, SEPTEMBER 17 /SRNA/ – Chairman of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly Nikola Špirić told SRNA that the 2025 BiH state budget reflects political efforts aimed at undermining the Republika Srpska institutions in order to blame its representatives in BiH institutions for failed adoption of the document.

Špirić stated that the majority of Serb deputies in the House of Peoples will not support the proposed unlawful and unconstitutional budget. If the budget is submitted through the regular legislative procedure, there will be efforts to amend it so it is in line with the Constitution, the law, and the fiscal framework. "If they are unwilling to do that, we will remain at a standstill," Špirić said. He added that the fate of the budget was sealed when the Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović was outvoted. According to Špirić, Presidency members Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić intentionally proposed an illegal and unconstitutional budget, knowing it would not pass, in order to blame Republika Srpska and its representatives for the failure. "That's why the Presidency's decision to resubmit the same budget structure, believing it can pass in the House of Representatives, is actually a setup to accuse the Serbs in the House of Peoples of allegedly refusing to adopt the budget," Špirić asserted. He expressed regret that the budget is being used as a political tool to target the institutions of Republika Srpska, while ultimately undermining BiH itself. "If this is the policy of the Presidency members and the majority in the House of Representatives, we will not oppose it," Špirić concluded.