The House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina's bicameral parliament on Thursday voted by an overwhelming majority for Vjekoslav Bevanda of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) as the country's new prime minister.
Bevanda's appointment, supported by 31 MPs in the 42-seat House, ended the 15 months of uncertainty over the formation of the new government after the general elections in October 2010. Two MPs voted against his nomination and three abstained.
Bevanda's candidacy was supported by six leading political parties: two major Croat parties, the HDZ BiH and the HDZ 1990; two predominantly Bosniak parties, the Social Democrats (SDP), the Party of Democratic Action (SDA); and two major Serb parties, the SNSD and the SDS. Some Opposition MPs, including those of the Alliance for a Better Future (SBB), voted for his appointment.
MPs from Haris Silajdzic's Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH) and the Democratic People's Union (DNZ) voted against.
Bevanda, who was born in Mostar in 1956 and holds a degree from Mostar's Faculty of Economics, worked in the industrial sector before the war and in the financial sector in the 1990s before entering politics. In 2007 he became finance minister in the Croat-Muslim Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Addressing today's parliamentary session, he said that he had accepted the candidacy for Prime Minister because he considered it as a special challenge at a time when it was necessary to reverse negative trends in the economy, and cope with prevailing apathy and dissatisfaction in the country.
His priorities are the economic strengthening of the country, improving living standards, and better security and safety for Bosnian citizens.
Bevanda said that a strategic goal was to move Bosnia closer to the European Union.
"In the present, diverse and fragmented Bosnia and Herzegovina it is possible to find common interests," the new premier said.
In the next 30 days, Bevanda should conduct consultations with the leading political parties on the appointment of cabinet ministers, or the Council of Ministers.
The SDP has confirmed that its leader Zlatko Lagumdzija will be nominated as Foreign Minister and its official Damir Hodzic will be nominated as Minister of Transport and Communications.
