Never before have the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) received a clearer signal to demonstrate their ability to act under threats to the constitutional order of the country. You have institutions, so resolve the political crisis, we are watching and supporting you – this is the essence of the message from the most important international addresses, including that of the head of NATO. However, opinions are divided on whether judicial institutions and police agencies are capable of neutralizing the danger produced by the unilateral and unconstitutional moves of the ruling establishment in Republika Srpska (RS).
In the coming days, slowly but surely, things will fall into place. The state police agency and judicial institutions will resist pressures and show that everyone in this country is equal before the law, says journalist Amarildo Gutic.
“I think the moment has come, and it seems to me that something is happening behind the scenes, indicating that Dodik will not be able to control certain processes and certain people as easily and that they will find a way to carry out what they are paid and appointed to do – the enforcement of BiH laws,” says Gutic.
Institutions have been treated as spoils divided among political parties, which, according to Aleksandar Trifunovic, does not inspire optimism regarding their efficiency. A telling example, he says, is Nenad Nesic, who was under surveillance for two years before conditions were met for his arrest.
“In the institution, they will try to avoid doing their job as much as possible. They will stall, just like all the other actors in this story, and I think it’s good that the international community has stepped in by observing this situation. But they have made it clear that we will have to deal with it ourselves. I think this will be a good test of whether we exist as a state or not,” emphasizes Aleksandar Trifunovic.
Analyst Srecko Latal also agrees that the institutions are politicized. He says that foreign actors could resolve the crisis, but he believes it would be best if the citizens of RS themselves resisted Dodik. Dodik continues to obstruct the maneuvering space of domestic institutions by persisting in his rejection of the Constitutional Court of BiH as the highest legal authority in the country.
“If Mr. Dodik continues to insist on this, and if the opposition and the citizens of RS allow a politician to lead them into dark waters solely to protect his personal interests and the wealth he has accumulated over all these years, then it will have to be resolved in some other way,” Latal believes.
A possible international intervention would cement BiH’s colonial status, which could last for decades and further degrade the society we live in, says Aleksandar Trifunovic.
