Bosnia reshuffles cabinet pledging EU-sought reforms

(SARAJEVO) - Bosnian lawmakers on Thursday backed a reshuffled government composed of ministers from a new multi-ethnic coalition pledging to implement reforms sought by the European Union.

The new nine-member cabinet of Prime Minister Vjekoslav Bevanda now has new security and defence ministers. It was backed by 29 deputies, while nine MPs of those present in the 42-seat assembly voted against it, FENA news agency reported.

The cabinet reshuffle came after the main Muslim SDA party was dismissed from the ruling coalition in October.

Fahrudin Radoncic of the Muslim SBB party was named new security minister while Zekerijah Osmic, from the Social Democrats (SDP), took the defence portfolio.

"Bosnia faces a very difficult (economic) situation ... Such situation forces us to rapidly undertake reforms needed on the Euro-Atlantic path," Bevanda said ahead of the vote.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele is to visit Bosnia on Tuesday, he said.

Earlier this week six parties agreed on a new ruling coalition that pledged to implement EU-sought reforms.

After October 2010 elections, Bosnia plunged into a 16-month political crisis, as its Muslims, Croats and Serbs failed to agree on a new government.

The Balkan country eventually got a government in February, but more than a year of political infighting and crisis have considerably harmed its attempts at European integration.

Sarajevo now finds itself lagging all other former Yugoslav republics in the process of European integration. It has yet to apply for EU membership.

Bosnia's 1992-1995 war left the country split into two semi-independent entities: the Serbs' Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation. The two are linked by a weak central government.