Vice President of Republika Srpska Ćamil Duraković said elections in Republika Srpska ran smoothly, but the results have serious consequences for pro-Bosnian parties. He warned about the loss of Bosniaks’ political relevance in entity institutions and protection mechanisms of vital national interest. As a guest on BHT, Duraković said that the election campaign was mostly silent, while it intensified in the run-up to the elections.
According to him, the introduction of new technologies has significantly increased transparency of the election process and reduced the possibility of electoral fraud.
“I think the electoral system has been greatly improved when it comes to transparency of the electoral system and that it has reduced the possibility of any engineering and fraud,” Duraković said.
Duraković, however, believes one of the major problems is vote-buying.
He revealed that during his campaign, a group of citizens contacted him offering votes in exchange for money.
“I had, let’s say, groups of citizens from certain areas that called you as a candidate: ‘Hello, there are 15 of us, can you provide BAM 1,000 so that we vote for you?’ I refused,” he said.
He added he didn’t spend money on billboards, stating that as an independent political activist, he ran his campaign by relying on his years of political work.
Speaking about the turnout, Duraković expressed doubt that the actual number of citizens who didn’t vote earlier was further obscured by potential electoral fraud.
“Whether it is reduced turnout or a reduced number of votes on the ballots, time will tell,” he said.
Duraković singled out the result of pro-Bosnian parties in Republika Srpska as one of the most severe consequences of the election.
He believes there was insufficient political maturity to gather the various pro-Bosnian parties around a common goal.
“Pro-Bosnian parties should not reduce the story of Bosniaks in RS to a Bosniak-only issue. Therefore, the story of Bosniaks and everyone else, including Croats, and everyone who sees the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as their homeland, should be a shared one,” Duraković said.
According to him, different approaches of pro-Bosnian parties cost them a mandate in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As he said, it is particularly concerning that Bosniaks will lose their previous position in the Council of Peoples of Republika Srpska.
“This is the first time that Bosniaks, who are already in a difficult position there, are now de facto and de jure politically marginalized within the entity’s institutions,” Duraković assessed.
He added that SNSD and other political parties will have four Bosniak delegates in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, while four will come from pro-Bosnian parties.
“This means we have lost a so-called simple majority in the Council of Peoples, not to mention the two-thirds majority, which is our mechanism to block any laws that violate our vital national rights. We have lost that,” he said.
Duraković believes that pro-Bosnian parties must reexamine the approach so far, and, instead of mutual divisions, build a broader political coalition.
He particularly warns that in Bosnia and Herzegovina it is impossible to ignore political reality and the fact that SNSD and HDZ received support from voters in their respective areas.
“Milorad Dodik and SNSD are not a Martian political party, but a Bosnian-Herzegovinian one, and that party received the most legitimacy. On the other hand, we have HDZ, who aren’t from Jupiter either, but are Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina who gave their legitimacy to HDZ. That is our reality,” he stated.
According to him, refusing to collaborate with political representatives of other nations can only further weaken the state.
“They will have to swallow their pride or those overly ambitious political visions they hold, and realistically sit down at the table to see what, within the current framework, can be agreed upon with the representatives who have earned the trust of their people,” Duraković urged.
Duraković believes that pro-Bosnian policy must be open toward Serbs, Croats, and other citizens who see Bosnia and Herzegovina as their own country.
“I think that Bosniaks alone cannot save this country. We must look for partners and friends among Croats, Serbs and others,” he said.
He warned that strengthening exclusively ethno-nationalist policies could further weaken the idea of a shared state.
“The hardest fight is defending this country. To defend it, you have to extend a hand to Milorad Dodik and Dragan Čović, and all those who represent our reality,” Duraković said.
Speaking about the attitude of political parties towards Bosniaks in Republika Srpska, Duraković criticized the fact that the matter of their representation in entity institutions is often ignored.
“In recent days, they have been crying about Bosniaks losing certain positions or ethnic representation in state institutions, while Bosniaks in Republika Srpska have been a marginal statistical error for 20 years, and no one mentions it,” he said.
He believes it is necessary to change the attitude of political leaders towards the citizens and stop using ethnic divisions as the basis for political action.
“Someone cannot say: those people over there. We are the same people, the same country. When we have such leaders, then we will also have hope for better times,” Duraković said.
Duraković in the end spoke about the situation in Srebrenica, where he lives.
He said that despite numerous political promises, life in this city has not significantly changed.
“Everyone pays lip service to Srebrenica, as you all well know. Even election campaigns hinge on it, from Serb political parties to ours. But, when the time comes to do something for Srebrenica, it is clearly lacking,” he said.
He added that since 2016, when he served as the mayor of Srebrenica, not a single butcher shop or bakery has opened.
“From election to election, they make little promises, but clearly nothing comes out of it after the elections,” Duraković concluded.
