Čović first supports Dodik's intentions, attacks the Constitutional Court of BiH, and then becomes a false savior of relations in BiH

When on March 18th this year, the Club of Croats in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, with the exception of Zlatko Miletić, together with SNSD, supported Želimir Nešković's (SDS) proposal to include the Bill on the Constitutional Court of BiH in the agenda, although the Club of Bosniaks appealed not to do so, a three-month paralysis of the work of this house followed because the session that began was never concluded.

The Club of Bosniaks argued then, and still argues today, that the mere discussion of this matter in this house undermines the foundations of BiH and the Constitutional Court as the guardian of the BiH Constitution.

Dragan Čović, as the Speaker of the House of Peoples, attributed yesterday's fiasco with the continuation of the session to the Club of Bosniaks, who unanimously decided not to participate in the session's work as long as that law is on the agenda.

Čović's attempt to secure a quorum during a one-hour break also failed, and then, as he cunningly knows how, he told the Bosniaks that he did not know in which direction the situation would further develop.

In a statement to the media during the break, delegate Marina Pendeš (HDZ BiH) said that they would reject that law, and that they had only voted for an urgent procedure.

„We said, not once, but several times, that by voting for an urgent procedure, we would subsequently reject that law, that there would be no more talk about that law. I don't know what this fear is about. It cannot pass the House of Peoples. And even if, in the worst case, it passed, and Croats will not vote for it, it cannot pass the House of Representatives“, Pendeš stated.

However, this is not the first time that HDZ has sided with SNSD and voted on something that undermines the state of BiH and its institutions.

If HDZ had an interest here in encouraging partners from the Federation of BiH to quickly elect HDZ's protégé, Marinko Vukoja, as a constitutional judge by supporting SNSD, then they succeeded. Vukoja was elected as a constitutional judge by a narrow majority in the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament on May 28th. And now HDZ is announcing that they will reject Nešković's law on the Constitutional Court of BiH.

That HDZ has a bad practice is also shown by a previous session of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly from November 2021. This was in the previous convocation of the House of Peoples, but Dragan Čović was also among the delegates then.

SNSD then proposed several conclusions demanding the annulment of the decision of High Representative Valentin Inzko on amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH prohibiting the denial of genocide.

In addition to the political representatives of Serbs, HDZ delegates in the House of Peoples, Dragan Čović, Marina Pendeš, and Lidija Bradara, voted for that conclusion.

Given that all political representatives of Bosniaks, as well as Zlatko Miletić, voted against it, the conclusion was not adopted without an entity majority and went for harmonization.

Čović, Pendeš, and Bradara also voted for the conclusion of the Serb Club that the reason for the non-functioning of the House of Peoples is the "unlawful decision of the High Representative", and one of the conclusions for which the HDZ members voted stated that BiH experienced a "civil war or a tragic conflict in the region".

Following that session, Dragan Čović faced numerous criticisms, including that he was a denier of genocide. A few days later, commenting on that situation, he said:

„Do not give names to laws that do not exist. In this country, we have the Criminal Code of BiH. As for my behavior, I owe no one anything. I hope I will never again be put in a position to decide in such a way in the House of Peoples. Radončić and Izetbegović were present yesterday when we spoke with representatives of the international community. This is the last time I will be part of a process of helping something in Bosnia and Herzegovina and paying such a price. Those conclusions did not pass, nor will they pass. If anyone was hurt by that, I apologize“, Čović concluded.

Although he tried to shift the blame to the international community at the time, it seems that Čović is still considered a "champion of European integration" by some ambassadors. Although he has exchanged very sharp words with US Ambassador Michael Murphy on several occasions due to the blocking of the South Interconnection project, yesterday's meeting in Mostar shows that US interests in BiH are above the interests of BiH citizens. And this is right before a new meeting of the state coalition hosted by Čović in Mostar.

(A. Vrabac)