Darijana Filipović is able to address any issue currently affecting the Croatian people and communicate it clearly to the representatives of Bosniak and Serb politics, which is very important for us, especially in light of the coalition-building process that will follow. It makes me happy to hear that many foreign diplomats, as well as Bosniak and Serb political representatives called Darijana and congratulated her on candidacy for the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Čović, the President of the CroatianDemocratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH), told Fena.
A few days ago the HDZ BiH announced Darijana Filipović as its candidate for the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the upcoming elections. Čović emphasized that the party has been preparing for the elections for six months and that the decision was made after considering different scenarios, including whether changes to the election law would take place or not.
“We choose an experienced political personality who has been a member of the party for 16 to 17 years, who participated in all talks with our international partners and the Republic of Croatia. In a current leadership crisis Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing, she is recognised as someone who has a future on that stage as the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. When you take into account her personality, integrity, willingness to serve her people and the country Bosnia and Herzegovina over a long term, energy, and dynamics this time requires, but at the same time, her composure and steadiness, I think it is clear we have chosen an ideal candidate,” Čović said.
Commenting on the fact that five Croat parties led by HDZ 1990 did not support Darijana Filipović’s candidacy, Čović said that in the previous period he held talks with some of the party leaders, such as Ivan Vukadin, and Ilija Cvitanović.
“I asked them that, if there are no amendments to the Electoral Law, they refrain from making up or searching for candidates, because by doing so, they can harm themselves, and the Croatpeople. We were very transparent. Of course, I was aware that those people, as an opposition, are trying to position themselves ahead of the elections, to show they are not under the wing of HDZ. This is valid, and pluralism is welcome for the Croat people as well. But because of the Electoral Law we have today, I think they are harming themselves by sending messages of division. The interest of Croat people cannot be traded and it is a message for all. My duty is to invite all representatives of theCroat people in all institutions to think politically mature and to be aware that until now such policies did not bear fruit,” Čović stated.
It is a reminder of a case from local elections when Croat parties, due to multiple candidates, lost a mayoral position in Odžak, and the same thing almost happened in Žepče.
“I am aware that group of parties can’t do anything, but they sent a message they are ready to sacrifice that Croat-related issue in order to harm the strongest party. When we held talks, I told them that, if they are worth 30, 40, or 50 percent on Croat policy market, we can discuss it, but if you worth 5-6 percent, then you should not put the remaining 90 percent at risk. Nobody will see it as a wise decision in the long term. We will see, I think they will be in the wrong if they do not support our candidate who is truly acceptable by everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina who want European, and stable future of this country. This candidacy is not a whim,” said the HDZ BiH leader.
“What do we gain if someone pushes for two Bosniak members of the Presidency?”
Regarding the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and priorities in pre-election period, Čović called all to primarily enable the normal functioning of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to preserve security, stability and peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“There were once global geopolitical circumstances suggested instability here. We did everything in our power to prevent that. Secondly, we wanted to stay the course on our European path. Luckily, all those global activities put other interests at the forefront in Brussels, compared to the expansion. Therefore, nobody talks about expansion there. The third issue we will insist on in the coming period is securing the equality of the three constituent peoples. We point out to all our friends, including those from international community, how much important it is to use the opportunity and ensure the Croat people have their legitimate representatives in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the House of Peoples. I think the root cause of all issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina is undermining of that concept. Fine, someone wants two Bosniak members of the Presidency, but my standard question is: what have we achieved by that? Have we improved a single process in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a result? I think we have set back all the processes, opened numerous questions about this society’s survival. I invite all my colleagues to set our priorities and goals in these five months, and following the elections, I am convinced we will have solid majorities, sit down and make partnerships not to make mistakes like the previous time,” Čović said.
He reminds that HDZ BiH after the previous elections, at the end of 2022, formed partnerships with other parties that were “in some segments, forced.” Mistakes cannot be repeated after this year’s elections.
“Election results must be fully verified. Those who win majorityin the state’s House of Peoples from Bosniak, Serb, and Croat political representatives must be a part of the government. Those who have legitimate representatives in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in combination with the House of Peoples, will have to be a part of the majority that will exercise power. If we succeed in forming the new Council of Ministers, by the end of this year, or early 2027, our new priority will be the foreign policy, stabilization on the path to Europe, as we are behind. We want that true political capacity and we are talking to everyone in order to define strategic elements across all areas. Anyone who accepts being part of the government cannot also be a blocker, because there must be a smooth flow of decisions. Of course, we will have to coordinate much more and be in constant session to make up for what we have lost over the past year,” Čović added.
The Office of High Representative is no Longer Needed
Despite the current standstill, he remains optimistic regarding the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina and says there are more reasons for that.
“This crisis, that showed all weaknesses of the EU, will make the Union more professional across all sectors. The European Union will need this part of the South-Eastern Europe. It needs it right now and it will have to become more serious about it. I am convinced that in the interest of the European Union and all of us, the accession will happen in a package, just as it did before. The high number of EU Member States will want to bring Ukraine to membership via a shortcut. But, Ukraine cannot enter the European Union without the countries of the South-Eastern Europe. This is a chance that should make us more serious. That is why it is vital that we demonstrate internal stability,” Čović said.
According to him, the Office of High Representative is no longer needed, although for years we have witnessed alibi politics requiring the Office of High Representative to make decisions instead of domestic institutions and officials.
“We must amend and adopt new laws. Until that happens, the Office of High Representative is there, and nobody will shut it down. I sincerely believe that if after these elections we choose the legitimate representatives of all three peoples, the Office of High Representative won’t be needed. If we send positive and simple messages on external policy, then there will be no one in Brussels to shut the door on us. Today we have three members of the Presidency who tell three different stories on the outside. You have a Foreign Minister who follows his own personal mission, while The Chair of the Council of Ministers represents what she is collectively required to convey. I think that after all the elections we will have a firm position that will be a good motivation to our friends in the European Union, and we have enough of them, to help us in accession ambitions,” he considers.
Long-Term Thinking about Our Well-Being
In interview to Fena, Dragan Čović said he strongly supports the investments by the U.S. including the Southern Gas Interconnection. He emphasized the Americans took all the risk to invest billions of BAM here in order to establish infrastructure and connect us with the Western world.
“They want to invest in four high capacity gas power stations, which brings energy stability during the green transition. Another thing, the U.S. partners want to negotiate about investing in processing capacities. This has never happened before. Although they helped us, we didn’t have a single serious U.S investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now when we do, we have a guarantee they will securely protect their investment. This is additional protective mechanism for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The external influence is significant, and we need to use it. This is our chance. Many global relations, including economic, have broken down. We can use it for our economic development,” Čović proposed.
Answering the question about possible obstacles to the construction of the Southern Interconnection, he pointed out that will not happen at this moment because the Americans are behind the project.
“I hope that after elections that will happen because we see the Southern Interconnection as our long-term leverage and motivation for other investors. It is impossible to achieve this in a year or two. We must be realistic, because this would be impossible in the European Union, let alone us. But, we want to show the strongest global force that they can do business here, that we are ready to remove all obstacles even if it means overcoming the border-line logic we are known for in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Gasification is one step, but supplementing it with energy facilities is the real challenge. Then there are highways, the Adriatic-Ionian corridor, as well as two airports. This brings a completely new dimension of US investors here. If this investment will motivate everyone else, and if there is no risk for us, why someone should block that. The upcoming electoral cycle seems as a realistic time frame to finish this, especially if it means we will receive a potent workforce returning from the European Union that will join in. We have to remove the barriers quickly at all level in order to show we are ready to think on the long run about our well-being,” Čović concluded.
