Leaders of several opposition parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina spoke today in Sarajevo with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, who is on an official visit to BiH.
As they said in a statement for the press after the meeting, the message of the European official is that it is necessary to resolve the issue of changing the Election Law, and they announced the continuation of negotiations on that issue tomorrow.
The President of the Alliance for a Better Future (SBB), Fahrudin Radoncic, confirmed that the meeting said that the European Union would pay more attention to Bosnia and Herzegovina and have more sympathy for BiH.
“Current strategic issues must be resolved, which means changing the Election Law and stabilizing Bosniak-Croat relations, although it is not so explicitly said. I believe this is a good thing and a stimulus for all of us,” he added.
The President of the Social Democratic Party of BiH (SDP), Nermin Niksic, emphasizes that Borrell has clearly said that he asks the political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to clearly state and support the EU’s positions when it comes to Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“We are expected to work on stability, to give our contribution in finding the best possible solution for changing the Election Law, which will be in line with EU standards,” Niksic emphasized.
He believes that the key for all political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina is to ensure conditions for fair and honest elections, and announced that if a solution is reached that is in line with EU standards, the SDP will support them.
He says that they also received a draft of amendments to the Election Law, which implies what the EU claims has been harmonized. According to Niksic, these are technical changes, but also those that concern other things, and about which there is allegedly an agreement between the participants in the negotiations in Neum.
The President of Our Party, Edin Forto, said that he had informed a high-ranking EU official that the party had initiated the adoption of laws in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, which are a priority from the Opinion of the European Commission.
“Those laws were adopted in that house, and now all the pressure should be transferred to the House of Peoples of the PSBiH. This is the place where the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is being blocked,” Forto said.
He underlined that the amendments to the Election Law regarding the prevention of election theft must not be stopped in the current negotiations, but must be adopted regardless of them, and after October, when general elections should be held, things will be much different, he said.
Vice President of the Democratic Front (DF) Zlatan Begic said that a consultative meeting was held today where EU representatives were warned that the DF is for any democratic solution as in other countries, without compromising the equality of peoples, but these mechanisms should be harmonized with democratic and European principles.
The President of the Democratic People’s Alliance (DNS), Nenad Nesic, said after the meeting that Borrell emphasized the importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path, 14 priorities of the European Commission, as well as the importance of returning to institutions and removing any blockade.
“We said that we in the Republika Srpska do not have a problem with changing the Election Law, especially regarding the implementation of the Sejdic-Finci verdict,” he explained.
Nesic emphasized that he asked Borelj to clearly and unequivocally say that there will be no conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that someone from the European Commission told them that, and that elections will be held in BiH this year, because many calculate that there will be none. He claims that postponing the elections corresponds only to the position.
The president of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), Mirko Sarovic emphasized that an attempt will be made to reach an agreement on holding elections this year.
“It seems to me that there is a chance that at least this part concerning the integrity of the elections will pass, that is, the set of amendments to the laws that improve the election process,” he emphasized.
He emphasized that they heard from Borrell that there would be no financial projects for Bosnia and Herzegovina, ie the Republika Srpska, and that this was the first sentence he uttered, which will make the citizens suffer.
Source: BHRT
