Čović's Wishlist for the "Trojka": Election Law, Legitimate Representation, Role of the CEC, Departure of Foreign Judges

(Patria) - President of HDZ BiH Dragan Čović stated that he believes in an agreement with the "Trojka" regarding comprehensive amendments to the Election Law and that there is no need for the High Representative's intervention.

"I would regret it if the High Representative imposed anything, because I don't think there is any reason for it. We say this because there is an expressed will of the parliamentary majority to prepare the election law and put it into parliamentary procedure by the end of January. The main issue is between HDZ and the "Trojka". We have a clear majority in both houses. We will work on this intensively, and I think we will finish everything by the end of January," Čović said in an interview for the Bosnian edition of "Večernji list".

Speaking about what the election reform should encompass, Čović emphasizes that it is absolutely a matter of legitimate representation, the way of electing members to the Houses of Peoples and the Presidency, because "there is no greater threat to the integrity of the electoral process than this false representation that we have today in the institution of the Croatian member of the Presidency".

"So, let those who think they can deceive someone and that this will be kept silent for the next three years not get their hopes up. Those who think so are very mistaken. Of course, the third part is what is conditionally called technical conditions for organizing elections in order to avoid false representation, to avoid the annulment of votes, various abuses, how to resolve voter lists so that those who are no longer alive are not included. We want the issue of who gets the mandate if, for example, someone leaves a party or entity after ten days to be resolved. For me, the question of why we don't have extraordinary elections is crucial. Will we wait four years if, for example, the government doesn't function at all or cannot be established? Consideration was also given to combining general and local elections to reduce campaign time and give more space for authorities to implement reforms. Unfortunately, everything here has been reduced to whether we will determine fingerprint or iris scanning to identify a person, or whether we will process data using the latest technologies. I repeat, we support complete transparency of the electoral process. These amendments should also include the criminal provisions imposed by the High Representative. A year has passed, and nothing has been done, Čović points out.

He emphasizes that imposing anything is counterproductive to our European path.

"How will you say tomorrow that you have fulfilled something, if someone else is doing it for you? Then let the High Representative impose all of these 14 priorities, and then we have solved everything. But that is not the goal. The legislative and executive branches must simply function in order for us to show responsibility. In this sense, amending the Election Law is the test of all tests. We could have voted on the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorist Activities in the House of Peoples. In the Law on the Court, the only dilemma is whether its seat is in Banja Luka or East Sarajevo. We still need an agreement on foreign judges in the Constitutional Court, which we have also discussed. Everyone agrees that foreigners should leave, it's just a question of the timeframe – should it be at the moment of opening the negotiation process or at some stage. We have no future with foreigners in any segment of government. I am convinced that the High Representative has no reason to impose amendments, regardless of which law it is. We respect Mr. Schmidt, and this has nothing to do with him; I am only talking about the institution of the High Representative, about which I spoke in the same way 10 or 15 years ago. Let the domestic authorities show their own credibility as soon as possible, otherwise we have no business in Brussels. We cannot be a dialogue partner either," Čović stated.

He is convinced that by March next year, it is possible to do what the European Union expects from BiH in order to open the accession negotiation process.

"I am sure that we can do everything that is expected of us. Most things are ironed out, but the key problem remains the Election Law. If we find a quality solution for the Election Law, legitimate representation, the role of the CEC, and technical amendments within the Federation of BiH, we have solved everything. March is not far at all. Now it's just a matter of commitment. If we behave as we have in the last month, then we will achieve nothing. But if we work as we did in August or October, then anything is possible. My question is why we haven't adopted the budget, when we have agreed on all the parameters. It's up to us, my optimism is at its peak, and I will strive with my friends from the Federation of BiH to put everything in its place," Čović said.

He added that there is no reason why HDZ and the "Trojka" should not work much more dynamically.

"If we use the previous methodology of work from the last four or five years, we must be satisfied because a lot has been done. All those who will try to see it more realistically, including international officials, will say that a lot has been done. Because before that, we did nothing. We adopted one law per year. Now, in two or three "whims", we have harmonized between four or five laws, which are all part of our package of 14 preconditions for the European path. If we had adopted the budget and the Election Law, I would say that we have achieved what no one could have imagined. The budget is very close, the Election Law is not far away. It's up to us whether we will do it in January or February next year. The most important thing is that everything is in our hands. Much more could have been done. There is a lot of indecisiveness among us," believes the president of HDZ BiH and HNS.

Answering a question about the constant secession announcements from the RS made by Milorad Dodik, Čović said that it is evident that Dodik builds his political influence within the RS on this.

"Of course, this does not help us, and we constantly take two steps forward and then three steps back, and then we deal with state property which was a topic 20 years ago with the same intensity. Nothing has changed, and I assure you that nothing will change in the next 10 years. I often talk with Mr. Dodik for several reasons, one of which is that I think we must work together to solve some problems. I must say that without his help, some laws would never have been completed. I am convinced that the rhetoric could be completely different. I see no purpose in these mutual conflicts. If we are protecting the state, we can do it more organizedly, but in a completely different way. I have listened to Mr. Plenković's statements on this issue, and this is also our thesis. Honestly, I don't know what harms BiH more – undisguised separatism, which we have from SNSD and representatives of the Serb political option, or unitarism in a competition when it comes to the Federation of BiH within Bosniak politics," Čović assessed.


He said that he wants to close the space for the OHR and international institutions to interfere in our relations in 2024.

"I would like the rule of law to come to life, so that we never again have a case where the president of the Court of BiH with enormous powers ends up in pre-trial detention. I want to realize all of this with the much-needed peace in order to stabilize economic and social challenges through the European path... Bosnia and Herzegovina is our homeland. Our Euro-Atlantic path has no alternative, and on that path, we must show true political credibility," concluded Čović.