Another round of negotiations, it seems the last one before the elections, ended ingloriously. According to the old recipe, we were close to an agreement, but it was not reached. Negotiators claim a good deal of work has been done, but no agreement has been reached on a key issue – the equal value of everyone’s vote. What will happen next? Boycott of the elections or they will be held under the current law?
The election board is black and white. Masters ready, a strategy devised. Long ago, according to plan and without compromise. The King and Queen left the game even before the timer marked the end. Checkmate in our way.
“We have exhausted all possibilities,” said Angelina Eichhorst, director of the European External Action Service.
And it’s not the first time. Wasted time, rotation of mediators, and even divided players in two halls. Big and small and again – nothing. Because…
“Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has politicians and no statesmen,” said Elmedin Konakovic, president of the Narod i Pravda-NiP.
“The same goal is clear and that is not to agree on anything, to keep the status quo,” said HDZ BiH President Dragan Covic.
“Milorad Dodik has reason to celebrate,” according to SBB President Fahrudin Radoncic.
“They say that a tooth is not extracted under inflammation. First, the inflammation is calmed down with antibiotics, and then the tooth is extracted, “ stated the president of the SDA, Bakir Izetbegovic.
There is no adequate antibiotic for the inflammation of BiH. The broad spectrum one is not effective. At least not for election to the Presidency and the Houses of Peoples. And they were closeto the agreement, negotiators say. Nine out of ten – agreed. That the model of elections is electoral, a fixed supplement for smaller cantons, securing legitimate representatives, and deleting ethnic prefixes from the House of Peoples. But they stuck on one – how much is the unequal value of the vote, in fact, acceptable?
“That Sarajevo, which has 10 times more inhabitants than Gorazde, gets 10 and Gorazde also gets 10. That Posavina Canton, where Croats are in the majority, which has 5 times fewer inhabitants than Tuzla, gets the same number – to help the Croatian side in this way, I accepted it. Since it was not enough for the HDZ since they do not have a guarantee from it, they went further, and then it entered a zone where it was unacceptable for us, ” explained Izetbegovic.
“We were very clearly ready for three or four very clear concessions, which someone called a blockade, I would say that it was planned to make BiH more functional, to their surprise or the surprise of SDA, they did not think we would give it. When we gave it, they went on. Then we said we couldn’t go any further, “ told Covic.
“The model that the HDZ insisted on – we would not have Croats in the House of Peoples of Representatives from Sarajevo, Tuzla, Una-Sana Canton (USC), or Gorazde. We could not accept that, “ Izetbegovic stressed.
The unblocking of the Federation, the reduction of the role of the federal House of Peoples, and the integrity of the electoral process remain in the shadows. Constant wishes of HDZ BiH remain in two halls.
From Sarajevo to Neum, and back. Status quo, red lines, and divisions into large and small. Deja vu each month. Only this time the consequences could be much more dangerous. Instead of new negotiations, both sides will go behind closed doors to discuss future options. For the first group, it will probably beplan B and a boycott of the election. The others, the reaction to the action and the plan to establish power after the elections. If they are held.
E. Dz.
source: Federalna