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Mr. Sead Avdic
Dear Mr. Avdic, Last evening you requested the Office of the High Representative to consider the issue of whether the new House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina can do any work before the new House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in place. Our staff has considered this issue and researched it quite carefully. The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina provides for two chambers but also assigns to them different roles. Although laws and some other acts must under the Constitution be approved by both chambers, some competencies are specifically assigned to one of the two chambers. One of the functions where the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina assigns specific power to one of the Chambers (Article V.4 of the BiH Constitution), is the constitutional entitlement of the House of Representative to approve the nominee for the Chair of the Council of Ministers, and later his/her proposed Cabinet. Although the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina requires (Article IV.2.c. of the Constitution of BiH) that all legislation needs the approval of both Chambers, this does not restrict the House of Representatives from performing all tasks which are within its own competence under the Constitution even though a House of Peoples may not be in place. I hope the above information clears up any questions as to whether the House of Representatives can proceed at this time on the selection of a Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Clearly it can. I am glad that we could be of some service in settling this important issue. Yours sincerely,
Matthias Sonn
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