The member of our party in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, Predrag Kojović, said on BHT1 live that the improvement of the electoral process is a reason for optimism before the General Elections, but warns that the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina is practically stopped due to political blockades.
For BHRT, he also spoke about the relations within the ruling coalition at the state level, the Southern Interconnection, the security situation and expectations from the upcoming General Elections.
Electoral process: Less room for manipulation
Kojović believes that the new electoral technologies represent a significant step forward in protecting citizens’ electoral will.
“I really like voter identification. Also, the fact that we will have both a physical trace and an electronic result. I think that the room for manipulation is drastically reduced,” Kojović believes.
He added that he believes that the electoral process will increasingly reflect the will of the voters, and not, as he said, “the counters”.
“The first year of the mandate was extremely successful”
Speaking about the work of the state government, Kojović points out that the beginning of the mandate was marked by significant progress on the European path.
“In the first year, we adopted nine very important European laws, among which are the Law on Conflict of Interest, the Law on Border Control and the Law on Protection of Personal Data,” says Kojović.
According to him, cooperation was at a high level at the beginning, but the political situation changed later.
“After that, the SNSD turns its political compass and decides that it no longer wants to go to Europe. Then we enter a period of blockade that will most certainly mark this mandate,” Kojović assessed.
The representative of our party claims that after the departure of SNSD president Milorad Dodik to Moscow in 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path has practically stopped.
About the Southern Interconnection: The project yes, but not the way it was conducted
Commenting on the disagreements within the ruling coalition due to the Southern Interconnection, Kojović said that Our Party is not against the project, but against the way it was managed.
“We wholeheartedly supported the southern interconnection, but we did not support the manner and process in which it was conducted,” explains Kojović.
He believes that Bosnia and Herzegovina should have used the interest of international partners in order to solve other important issues.
“We asked that the same pressure that existed for the Southern Interconnection be used for the adoption of two European laws and the election of the chief negotiator for the European Union,” Kojović said.
The European path is blocked by political disagreements
When asked whether Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path has become only a topic of political debate, Kojović replies that the problem is that, as he says, not all political actors are sincerely committed to membership in the European Union.
“It is very difficult to negotiate about Bosnia and Herzegovina with people who are not interested in Bosnia and Herzegovina and publicly spit on it,” Kojović stressed, adding that progress would be possible if all participants in the political process in the country sincerely wanted European integration.
“If everyone was committed to Europe, we would agree on all the laws. But if someone wants to block that path, then it is very difficult to reach an agreement,” Kojović points out.
About criticism from the opposition: SDA does not offer a different model of action
Referring to the criticism coming from the opposition SDA party, Kojović believes that that party and its leader Bakir Izetbegović did not offer a different model of action compared to the previous 20 years.
“I would have liked to have heard what the SDA would have done differently. I watched Mr. Izetbegović’s guest appearance here and I looked at home and it irritated me. Why? Because I wanted you to ask him the following thing. In a specific situation, what would he do differently than us? He would, even after Milorad Dodik attacked the constitutional order, talk to him, stay in a coalition with him and do those things that can be done: distribution of resources, appointments and so on, regardless of the blockade the European way,” Kojović opined.
In an interview for BHRT, Kojović also referred to the financial position of the Sarajevo Canton, stating that despite, as he claims, reduced revenues, the Canton maintained a number of social measures for its citizens.
“Because Sarajevo is still the only one that supports women giving birth, pays people subsidies to buy new apartments, pays for kindergartens for everyone. We carry seven state institutions on our shoulders, de facto alone, and airports and other infrastructures that belong to the capital city,” stated Kojović.
About the General Election: Citizens should decide what kind of future they want
Kojović believes that the upcoming general elections will be an opportunity for citizens to decide which way they want Bosnia and Herzegovina to go.
“People should ask themselves what they want for their children – to live as children in Poland, Austria and Germany or to be an isolated island surrounded by Europe,” said Kojović.
He added that, in his opinion, the problem is not only the parties from Republika Srpska.
“Even in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are parties that verbally support the European path, but when it comes to accepting European standards, then it can be seen that they are not ready for changes,” Kojović believes.
Citizens’ safety: “It is not logical that a suspect for attempted murder defends himself from freedom”
Speaking about the security situation after several incidents with firearms in East Sarajevo, Kojović expressed concern about the decisions of the judiciary.
“I was shocked that a man who attempted or participated in a murder in East Sarajevo is defending himself from freedom. I cannot understand how someone who uses a firearm in a public place is not a danger to the public,” says Kojović.
He added that he notices similar cases in other parts of the country.
“We constantly read that people arrested with large quantities of drugs are being held free. It is obvious that something needs to be changed in the entire system,” concluded Predrag Kojović, a representative of Our Party in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PSBiH), in an interview with BHRT.
