If the Trojka had led the RBiH Government during the aggression, Tuđman could have realized his dreams of a Banovina of Croatia

By: Rasim Belko @rasimbelko

With a narrow majority on the night of April 22-23 this year, the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament elected a new composition of the Election and Appointment Committee. Support for the key change in forces needed to elect Marin Vukoja as a judge of the Constitutional Court of BiH was provided by deputies from SDP, HDZ BiH, HNP, Naša stranka, NIP, Elzina Pirić, Arnel Isak, Kenan Uznunović, Mario Karamatić.

On that April night, Dajana Čolić (DF) and Edina Gabela (SBiH) were removed from the Committee, and Elzina Pirić (PDA) and Petar Galić (HNP) were appointed to the Committee. The SDP made a shift from the realm of political manipulation with intent, so instead of the populist opponent Damir Mašić, a man for a sure vote for Vukoja entered – Senad Subašić.

It was the night when the Trojka and its mercenary satellites prepared the ground for the realization of the desires of their ideologue and leader Dragan Čović. Because, after that session of the House of Representatives, Čović will control not only the appointment of Vukoja, but also all other entity appointments. And when the appointments begin and public anger becomes pronounced due to betrayal, Nermin Nikšić, Elmedin Konaković, and Edin Forto will again ask us 'state what we have betrayed'.

And we will state it. But, after explaining the cunning plan of the ringleader Čović and the political gift that High Representative Christian Schmidt gave him in the Trojka project.

The plan was revealed by SDA deputy in the House of Representatives Jasmina Bišćević Tokić, who recently stated for Faktor: 'The ruling majority in the House of Representatives of the Federal Parliament will complete the appointment of Dragan Mioković (NS) as the Speaker of this House instead of Mirjana Marinković Lepić (NS) and the appointment of HDZ's Marin Vukoja to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a package at a session that will most likely be held on May 22'.

The primary question that has been arising since December is whether the Constitutional Court of the Federation will consciously and unconstitutionally participate in the devastating process of regulations and the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives of the FBiH. Because, appeals have been pending since December, and new ones are being announced because the HDZ and its Trojka continue their destructive campaign. And precisely because of the plan of the partners in the entity government, the Constitutional Court of the FBiH must react in a timely manner, because that plan not only includes the appointment of the incompetent Vukoja but very possibly the blockade of BiH's European path.

In addition to having to wait for the Constitutional Court of the FBiH to resolve the entanglement, the House of Representatives should not decide on the election of judges of the Constitutional Court of BiH before June 23. Because, we remind you, Željko Komšić, in his capacity as Chairman of the Presidency of BiH, sent a request for an opinion to the Venice Commission on March 15, 2024, regarding the method of electing judges to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a comparison with the practice in Council of Europe countries.

And to be clear, and it is often brought up, Komšić did not ask for an opinion on Vukoja, but on the practice and method of electing judges of constitutional courts in the EU. The head of the Democratic Front Club, Mahir Mešalić, following this request, submitted an initiative 'to postpone the decision on the appointment of the missing judge in the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina until the Venice Commission's Opinion is adopted at the plenary session'.

And the plenary session of the Venice Commission is on June 21 and 22. The Venice Commission's opinion is not binding but is advisory and carries weight, especially in a country that needs to negotiate with the EU.

The Trojka, as a project, swears by BiH's European path, the HDZ BiH pushes the same story with the same force for its own needs, and both are being tested on their respect for that path. Because, if they implement the cunning plan for Vukoja's election in May, it should become clear to both Brussels and its branch in Sarajevo what kind of cumbersome political concept they are dealing with.

Few can be surprised by such HDZ policy. However, although we have seen all sorts of manipulations of the system and rules from the Trojka as well, it was hard to expect them to agree to play by all of Čović's strategies.

And it is obvious that they have. They manipulated the budget to develop the HDZ's south, they broke the Rules of Procedure and its regulations to give the HDZ control, they neutralized the opposition and their 'disobedient' members in the Election and Appointment Committee so that the HDZ could elect Vukoja. It is rumored in the corridors that the SDP president is pressuring deputies of that party who even think of not voting for Vukoja.

If we add to this the games of Prime Minister Nikšić and the FBiH Government in favor of the HDZ regarding the Southern Interconnection, the appointment of Jelka Milićević, and the handover of FERK, we have every right to ask ourselves what would have happened if the Trojka had led the country during the defense against aggression from neighbors.

The conclusion is that Franjo Tuđman could have easily realized his dreams of a Banovina if the Trojka had led the RBiH Government. Luckily, most of them were in the 'Munich' brigades!