Đonlagić: State-level government definitely not functioning

(Patria) - The state-level government is not functioning. It has reached a point where there are no longer any decisions without the prior consent of SNSD and HDZ, as a package. Dženan Đonlagić, a representative of the Democratic Front in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said this on the show Rezime.

"We have reached a stage where it is evident that the Trojka has no mechanism to move things forward, neither in the House of Representatives nor in the House of Peoples. What Milorad Dodik announced is happening - that no more laws will pass at the state level until the issue of the Constitutional Court is resolved," Đonlagić believes.

He adds that the Trojka has brought itself to this stage.

"The Trojka has no mechanism to move things forward without fulfilling the wishes of SNSD and HDZ. Nine months ago, when they started forming the state government, we from DF said that certain political criteria and conditions should be set for Dodik and Dragan Čović, because otherwise, they cannot be reasoned with. It was a political knockout. I have no other explanation for it than an impeccable desire to occupy seats and positions. And it is possible that at that moment they were receiving wind at their backs from foreigners," he points out.

Regarding the election law and the law on the Constitutional Court of BiH, he says:

"When they formed the government, and when they opened the discussion about the Constitutional Court of BiH, they should have immediately defined that this issue cannot be resolved by law, but by constitutional amendments, because the position of the three judges appointed by the President of the European Court of Human Rights is a constitutional matter, and this issue cannot be resolved by amending the law. When it comes to the election law, they should have stood before Čović and said – our political condition is the implementation of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. They drew them into the story of appointments, occupying positions, and at the same time, they put on paper that they would work on amendments to the election law and the law on the Constitutional Court of BiH. They are now holding them to that paper and returning it to them. And they say there will be no progress until this is resolved."

When asked about alleged political pressure on the Central Election Commission (CIK) and how the method of electing members of that institution can be changed, he replies:

"This is again political scissors for the representatives of the Trojka. The Trojka did not react in Mostar after the last meeting. Dodik very clearly stated that regarding the change in the composition of the CIK, that issue will also be resolved through the House of Peoples. I think that is absolutely unacceptable, because it would further politicize the issue of the CIK and introduce an ethnic concept into that institution. He also wants to strip the CIK of its power and impose an entity election commission. The representatives of the Trojka are silent on this. They must clearly come out with political stances."

He also stated that Dodik is not bluffing. He, according to Đonlagić, is realizing the strategic political goals of Belgrade.

"Even the foreigners had the idea to push the Trojka into a story with Dodik, thinking he would face financial collapse and thus become cooperative. However, we see that he is finding alternative sources of financing. He goes to Hungary and arranges certain short-term financing sources. It was politically naive to think that Dodik would give up his goals by imposing sanctions on him," Đonlagić believes.

Đonlagić emphasizes that the illusion of the international community's concept should be broken.

"That community as such does not exist. The EU itself is not unified. The story that BiH will open negotiations in December, and the EU itself is entering elections next year, if we eventually get that, it will be a result of the decision regarding Ukraine. Then we could enter the package with Ukraine," is his opinion.

He also commented on the hearing that awaits Dodik on Monday, and what we can expect from that process:

"What a political paradox. He has to stand before a court he does not recognize. I want to believe that the state judiciary will see the matter through. Because if this process fails, it will show that the power of judicial institutions is weaker than the political power of some officeholder," he concluded.