Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Region Gets New Government

The parliament of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation approved a new government on Friday.

The parliament of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation approved a new government on Friday, a week after the country's peace overseer blocked the appointment of the candidate for interior minister.

The lower house voted in ethnic Muslim Nedzad Brankovic as prime minister, some six months after a general election, and approved his 16-member cabinet representing the main Muslim and Croat parties and including two Serb ministers.

The parliament is expected to approve later the federation's 2007 budget, one day before a decision on the temporary financing of the region expires.

High Representative Christian Schwarz-Schilling, who holds sweeping powers to sack officials and impose laws, gave a green light to the cabinet line-up after he replaced the original candidate for interior minister with another Muslim.

Schwarz-Schilling did not name the original candidate or explain why he was rejected.

Brankovic is a member of the main Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA). He served as the transport and communications minister in the previous government and as the head of the state railways and the engineering firm Energoinvest before that.

The formation of the government was repeatedly delayed due to the failure of the ruling Muslim and Croat parties to agree on power-sharing.

The Serb Republic, the Balkan country's other autonomous region, formed its government swiftly in October. The central cabinet, which has limited authority in decision-making and comprises officials from both regions, was approved last month.

The central parliament on Thursday postponed a vote on the state institution's 2007 budget until April 4. ($1=1.461 Bosnian marka)