The Assembly of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at its session in Sarajevo, passed the Decision on calling elections for reisul-ulema and appointed competent commissions that will carry out the complete procedure for electing a new head.
The current reisul-ulema Husein-ef. Kavazović has held this position since 2012, when he was elected head and supreme mufti of the Islamic Community.
Kavazović was elected reisul-ulema for the second time in 2019, and according to the Constitution of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after two mandates he can no longer be proposed as a candidate for this position.
According to the Rulebook on the selection of reisul-ulema, a distinguished alim who has secondary and higher Islamic education, who has performed duties in the Islamic community for at least 15 years and who has gained the general reputation and trust of members of the Islamic community through his behavior, and who is not younger than 40 years old, can be nominated for reisul-ulema.
After the Parliament made a decision on the implementation of the reisul-ulema election procedure, it also appointed competent commissions. The election procedure will be carried out by the Selection Committee consisting of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Parliament, the President of the Constitutional Commission of the Parliament and the President of the Main Election Commission, and the registration of candidates will be carried out by the Parliamentary Commission of 18 members, made up of the oldest Member of Parliament from each electoral district.
The candidates are obliged to present written programs to the Parliament, after which the Parliament will determine a list of at least two and at most three candidates for reisul-ulema.
Then the Parliament submits the list to the Electoral Body for the selection of reisul-ulema, which consists of members of the Assembly of the Islamic Community, members of the Rijaset, muftis, presidents of mosques, deans and directors of Islamic institutions, chief imams and presidents of executive committees of majlis.
After that, the Parliament will schedule a session of the Electoral Body, which will elect the reisul-ulema by secret ballot among the established candidates, and the candidate who receives the majority of the votes of the total number of members of the Electoral Body will be elected as the reisul-ulema.
According to the Rulebook, after the announcement of the election, the selection of a special committee for handing over the Menshura, a solemn document confirming that a certain person has been legally appointed, i.e. elected reisul-ulema, and that as such he is authorized to give Sharia authority to other religious officials in terms of Sharia law, will be started.
The newly elected reisul-ulema is handed over the Menšura by the President of the Parliament within 30 days from the day of the election, at a ceremony attended by all members of the Electoral Body, writes Klix.
