Academic Nedim Suljić supported Slaven Kovačević: His election is a direct response to policies that are dismantling BiH institutions

By Nedim Suljić, full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts

The general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2026 are among the most important since 1995. The state of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been in a greater or lesser political crisis for years, and without resolving the political crisis in our country, there will be no foreign investment or economic progress, which makes this year's October elections a key deadline for a resolution.

The election of Slaven Kovačević as a member of the BiH Presidency from the Croat people in the 2026 general elections is not just a personal decision, but a strategic move to preserve a unified BiH. For the stability and survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the general elections in October and the composition of the Presidency are the zero point of defense. It is of crucial importance to ensure a composition of the BiH Presidency that will act in the interest of the state, meaning at least two members of the Presidency who are aligned with the defense of sovereignty, thereby preventing blockades in foreign policy. The election of Slaven Kovačević confirms that BiH's sovereignty belongs to its citizens, not exclusively to ethnic groups.

Slaven Kovačević in the BiH Presidency is not directed against anyone, but is for the constitutional order and for BiH as a state in which all its citizens have equal rights regardless of religious or political affiliation. Only with Slaven Kovačević and a strong 2:1 ratio in the Presidency will Bosnia and Herzegovina have the rule of law and preserve its sovereignty. This is the only patriotic path and the survival of the state in the turbulent present and future times in the world and the ongoing reshaping of the new world order.

According to the Constitution, the BiH Presidency has exclusive jurisdiction over foreign policy. With Slaven Kovačević in the BiH Presidency, a strong, uncompromising bloc is being formed that sees the state as civic and sovereign. This ensures that two-thirds of the head of state will always speak the same language in Brussels, New York, and Washington. This means that two-thirds of BiH's ambassadors in the world will represent the interests of the state of BiH, not the interests of its neighbors – Croatia and Serbia. A 2:1 ratio with Slaven Kovačević in the BiH Presidency after the October elections is a fuse that pulls the state out of defense and puts it on a firm footing in global diplomacy. The significance of Slaven Kovačević's election is most clearly seen in the establishment of a stable majority in the BiH Presidency that uncompromisingly protects the state.

The election of Slaven Kovačević as a member of the BiH Presidency in the October 2026 elections represents a direct response to policies that aim to dismantle state institutions. Slaven Kovačević personifies the fight against the concept of the unconstitutional term "legitimate representation," which has served for decades as a tool for blocking the state.

The thesis that "the election of Croats by other peoples is the source of the crisis" is a narrative that the HDZ, led by Dragan Čović, has been imposing for years. The problem is not in the "election of Croats," but in the HDZ's refusal to accept Bosnia and Herzegovina as a democratic state of equal citizens. The thesis that "one people elects representatives for another" is a constitutional-legal falsification used to preserve ethnic fiefdoms. The BiH Constitution states that a "member of the Presidency from the Croat people" is elected, not a "representative of the Croat people." The thesis of "legitimate representation" is not a constitutional category, but a political construct designed to give the HDZ veto power over all processes in the state.

Of course, the spin that has been current again in the last few months (since Slaven Kovačević's candidacy for member of the BiH Presidency) that "Croats are not electing their member" represents a completely different reality, which is that the HDZ, under "Croats," exclusively means HDZ voters. For them, a Croat who does not vote for their list is not "legitimate." This deprives citizens of Croat nationality of the right to think differently from the HDZ and Dragan Čović.

Slaven Kovačević does not build his policy on agreements between ethno-leaders, thereby directly opposing the concept of the unconstitutional term "legitimate representation" advocated by the HDZ and their partners. I see the election of Slaven Kovačević to the BiH Presidency as a key stabilizing factor that directly addresses the greatest post-Dayton threat to peace – the attempt at ethno-territorial fragmentation of the Federation of BiH. Advocating for a "third entity" or ethno-territorial federalization is not just a political demand, but a radical restructuring that would necessarily lead to destabilization.

The presence of Slaven Kovačević in the BiH Presidency ensures that the head of state will never consent to laws or agreements that would mean the ethnic redrawing of new internal borders. Peace is most stable when every citizen of our country feels safe and equal throughout its territory. Kovačević's vision of equal rights for all eliminates the sense of threat that ethno-nationalists use as an excuse to seek special entities.

Without Slaven Kovačević, the BiH Presidency remains a playground for HDZ blackmail, where peace is often bought with concessions that weaken the state. With Slaven Kovačević, peace is defended with institutional strength.

The election of Slaven Kovačević is not a matter of name, but of decision: Do we want a state of citizens or a state of tribal leaders? A 2:1 ratio in the BiH Presidency with Slaven Kovačević is the only real wall against a third entity and the only guarantee that the Federation of BiH entity will remain undivided. The election of Slaven Kovačević is a strategic imperative, because he not only defends the Federation of BiH entity from division, but directly defends state sovereignty in every part of BiH, making any attempt at secession from the RS entity legally and politically unsustainable. Slaven Kovačević in the BiH Presidency means that peace and state sovereignty are no longer defended by pleas and concessions, but by impenetrable constitutional mechanisms.