SARAJEVO, Feb 8 (News Agencies) - The top international mediator in Bosnia urged the presidency to designate a prime minister that could win the approval of parliament and end a three-month long power vacuum.
The tripartite presidency has to "take the election results into account and make sure that the new candidate is likely to be approved" by the central parliament, the international community's high representative in Bosnia, Wolfgang Petritsch, said in a statement.
The parliament refused on Wednesday to confirm Bosnian Croat nationalist Martin Raguz, nominated by the presidency for the position.
"It is a disgrace that the state of Bosnia-Hercegovina and the [Muslim-Croat] Federation do not have governments three months after the elections," Petritsch's spokesman Oleg Milisic told a press conference.
Following general elections in November, the three main nationalist parties lost their majority in 42-seat central parliament for the first time since the 1992-95 war ended.
The three parties - the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ), the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) and the Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA) - gained 19 seats.
An alliance, formed in mid-January to challenge the nationalists, holds 17 seats and managed to gain support of several small parties.
The strongest party in the Alliance for Change is the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the international community's best hope of ousting nationalists in November elections, with nine seats.
The tripartite presidency, elected in 1998, is still controlled by nationalists.
Ante Jelavic, the Croat member of the presidency and the head of the nationalist Croat Democratic Union (HDZ), said that he would not support any prime ministerial candidate from the Alliance for Change.
