The general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which will be held this fall, are probably the most important since the end of the war. There are many reasons why this is such a case, and citizens can already feel the first outlines of pre-election euphoria.
Namely, the election campaign in theory lasts a month and starts exactly one month before the elections. But, in BiH, this theory has long had no basis in practice and the campaign has become a devalued term. Parties and individuals live and spend their political campaigns much longer, and by flattering the citizens, they often create a feeling of general hysteria.
The political climate in BiH has long gone beyond the established norms of acceptable and decent, and an atmosphere of eternal divisions is being created – you are either for or against.
Despite the fact that it is still unknown how the money for the elections will be provided, the expectations are that there will be elections, and that is guaranteed by foreigners as well. This time, we will leave that question aside and focus on the key moments and challenges that the state is facing.
The elections come after turbulent years of stalling BiH’s progress on the path to the European Union (EU). Of the 14 priorities from the EU Opinion on BiH, only a few have been met, and the state is burdened by a disorderly judiciary, unsolved cases of crime, corruption, murder, and the like.
In the meantime, a coronavirus pandemic has arrived, where BiH has shown all its weaknesses in the system, exposed several scandals, largely delayed vaccination, and deepened the political crisis. In the midst of the struggle to preserve people’s lives, secessionist demands from Republika Srpska (RS) surfaced. Milorad Dodik (SNSD) has openly started working on degrading state institutions, refusing to apply state demands, and threatening peace in the country.
Everything was further complicated by the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine because the priorities and geopolitical relations on the political scene have changed significantly. As we watched the turmoil over whether BiH would fully support the EU and the world in condemning Russian aggression and join the sanctions, the first consequences of the war arrived. Prices of food, fuel, and other goods have jumped enormously. While many countries have reduced VAT, and abolished excise taxes on fuel, in BiH, no agreement has been reached there either. Citizens are watching the rise in prices every day and worry about how they will enter the winter.
And before winter, in the fall, citizens need to line up and elect a new government. The election law has not been changed, and what was offered in some proposals was interpreted as an even greater danger for the division of the state according to ethnic principles. Serbia and Croatia still do not agree to an agreement on signing a border agreement, and issues remain unresolved both on the Drina, from its usefulness, and on the western side of the country with Croatia.
As a priority of its foreign policy, official Zagreb subordinated everything to Croats in BiH and the election law. Relations between BiH and Croatia have not been worse since the war, and even representatives of the international community have faltered in mediation, although there have been extremely biased individuals among them.
We no longer see the essentially political struggle in BiH in gloves. The state is facing the biggest challenges and a lot of unresolved issues, and we offer many self-proclaimed saviors, from long-term rulers to newly appointed leaders. Citizens probably have the most difficult task so far, although the alternative to everything offered is pale, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
