Bosnia and Herzegovina plunges deeper into political turmoil as institutions face boycott and political blockade. This week has been the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's turn, one of the two entities in which the country is divided along with the Republika Srpska. The government of the Federation, shared by Bosniak (Muslim Bosnians), Croat and Serb ministers, has witnessed new tension as Croat members have threatened to boycott the executive after they lost a vote on a road layout. According to BalkanInsight.com, the ministers said the decision was a case of "political violence" and walked out the government session, while Bosniak ministers, who are in a majority, have replied that such boycott "would not necessarily block the government's work, as it still has the required nine-minister quorum without them".

The Bosnian State government runs a similar risk as the main Bosniak party, the Democratic Action Party (SDA), protested after the Serbian party in the executive has appointed a Croat as the country's new EU negotiator. The SDA claims the position should be held by a Bosniak, and warned they may also boycott the central government.

As BalkanInsight.com reports, conflicts on top position appointments between the three Bosnian ethnic groups is increasingly frequent. The online journal says such disputes "have plunged the country into one of its most difficult crises since the end of the 1992-95 war", and adds that the Muslim predominance in the government of the federation voting system is a contributing factor in the "growing tensions and animosities among Bosnian leaders".

Further information:

• BalkanInsight.com: Bosnia Plunges Deeper into Political Crisis
• AlJazeera.com: Bosnia on the brink of crisis
• Nationalia:The European Parliament warns that the situation in Bosnia has never been worse since the end of the war