Is the permanent political crisis a comfort zone for BiH politicians and for whom? Is a new majority being formed in the Federation Parliament? Who is rearranging, who is calculating, and who is lobbying? Will and how will the pre-election math affect the election result? Why has his attitude towards the Troika gone from support to criticism in less than one mandate? How does he plan to return to the political scene? The guest of the Plenum was the president of the SBB, Fahrudin Radončić.
Speaking about the current political relations in the Federation of BiH after the removal of the speaker of the House of Representatives, the leader of the SBB, Fahrudin Radončić, assesses that this move has exposed the internal relations within the government.
“The situation with Mioković has shown that there is a split in the Troika. You saw that the representatives from the SDP did not vote as Our Party, they abstained. As the elections approach, this rivalry will become more pronounced and this is leading them towards political suicide.”
Troika as a victim of its own promises
Radončić believes that the key problems of the government are the result of unfulfilled promises, especially when it comes to transparency.
“The Troika is a victim of its own false promises. They promised maximum transparency, and you don’t have it. Key projects are being hidden, figures are being hidden, how much something costs is being hidden. You can’t declare citizens’ money a secret and expect trust.”
He also points out that there are no concrete results in the economy and infrastructure projects.
Tram accident and lack of responsibility
Reflecting on the government’s reaction after the serious tram accident in Sarajevo, Radončić points out the complete lack of political and moral responsibility.
“No one from the mayor, prime minister to ministers went to the scene when the accident happened. That is unacceptable. The resignations that have been offered are fictitious – everyone knows that the same government will remain until the elections. The situation in GRAS is chaotic – there is a lot of crime and fraud. In such a situation, the least that could have been done was the resignation of the director.”
Dodik and political relations at the state level
Speaking about relations at the state level, he rejects claims that the current government has weakened Milorad Dodik. “The Troika is lying that it has caught up with Dodik. It hasn’t – Dodik himself and the judiciary have caught up with him.”
Despite the judicial processes, he believes that Dodik still has significant political influence. “Whether we like it or not, Dodik is still a political fact. If SNSD appears as ‘SNSD – Milorad Dodik’, then it is clear that his political spirit still governs that party.”
“From an absolute conviction that Republika Srpska is a complete loser in which we lived under illusions, Dodik has risen very high in the Trump administration. That is not good for us.”
HDZ and the electoral system
Speaking about relations with the HDZ BiH, Radončić acknowledges one of the key problems in the political system. “HDZ is right when it says that Bosniaks elect their Presidency member. This is a problem that the international community could have solved by introducing indirect elections.”
Bosniak position and the state of the institutions
He particularly criticizes the personnel policy and the state of the state institutions. “Bosniak personnel are devastated. Bosniaks are literally melting in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
He directly accuses the current government of such a state of affairs.
Coalitions and post-election mathematics
Speaking of possible coalitions after the elections, he leaves open the space for various combinations, including cooperation with HDZ. “Who will represent Croats depends on the election result. HDZ is the favorite, but we should wait – whoever gains legitimacy is the partner.”
He does not rule out broader coalitions at the federal level.
The fall of the Troika and the rise of the SDA
He estimates that the election result will be a direct consequence of the government’s performance. “The SDA will achieve great results, not because it is perfect, but because of the Troika’s failures. The Troika will not be an equal competitor.”
He singles out one party in particular as an undesirable partner. “Nobody wants to be with NiP. Konaković’s conflictuality has put them in a situation where they have no coalition capacity.”
“There is no way Bećirović will get our support”
Speaking about the upcoming elections, Radončić rules out the possibility of supporting Denis Bećirović. “There is no way we will support him – we will beat him. He went to NATO unnecessarily, and did not secure a serious meeting. This is a situation when he should be told: ‘Denise, get out of that office’.”
He adds that the candidate will be from the SDA or SBB. “I would like the candidate to be Izetbegović, so that we can finally see how someone stands in fair elections.”
Statement condemning hate speech
Reflecting on the statement condemning hate speech and Islamophobia, Radončić emphasizes its significance. “I think it is a small historic decision or act that we made today. We should all use it to clearly define our position as Bosniaks – there is no clash of civilizations here. We are a multiethnic and multiconfessional society.”
Judiciary between pressures and public expectations
Speaking about the work of the judiciary, Radončić acknowledges the problems, but also points to the complexity of the system. “I was a victim of fabricated indictments and I know that there are people of flesh and blood in the judiciary who can be influenced. But you have several key cases that irritate the public – after two years in Jablanica, you have no suspects, you have the Memić case and other difficult cases without an epilogue.”
He emphasizes that a more concrete reaction from institutions is expected. “The prosecution will have to be more attentive to what citizens are asking for – and they are asking for justice and concrete results.”
The limits of external influence and the situation in the RS
Commenting on the political situation in the Republika Srpska, he believes that judicial decisions have had a decisive impact. “After Dodik received a year in prison and a six-year ban on holding office, no one in the RS wants to play with the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina anymore. That changed the situation and led to these sudden political moves, in the end they had to ensure the legality of the government.”
“Conscious fraud” and divisions among Bosniaks
Speaking about the appearance of pro-Bosniak parties in the RS, Radončić sharply criticizes the disunity. “This is a conscious fraud and division of Bosniaks. This should not have been done. The SDA is in very good shape there and there was no reason to go into separate blocs.”
He recalls previous examples of joint appearances. “When we went together – SDA, SBB and SDP – we managed to get the mayor of Srebrenica. This time, the goal was to collect populist points and put the SDA on the defensive. There is enough time to reach an agreement and a joint appearance of all pro-Bosniak parties.”, Federalna writes.
