Form governments, launch economy: No politician has reason to glorify themselves

General elections are behind us. Voters have made their choice and their will must be respected. Now is not the time for the political class in this country to be self-sufficient, and certainly no politician has reason to glorify themselves. No party that participated in these elections has achieved results, either in the past four years or at the polls on October 12, that would justify such a reaction, said High Representative Valentin Inzko, reports the BiH news agency Patria. 

“Now is the time for government to return to serving citizens. There is no room for doubt that both the international community and the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina have expectations – we expect new governments to achieve significant and rapid results,” said High Representative Valentin Inzko.

To begin with, parliaments and governments must be formed quickly and in full compliance with the law, and the necessary representation of constituent peoples and others must be ensured. The informal principle of rotating the Chairman of the Council of Ministers every four years should also be respected, and I am glad that this has become a generally accepted practice. This principle was introduced with the help of the OHR and has proven to be positive.

The performance of the authorities in the past four years has simply not been sufficient. More than half a million people are unemployed. Youth unemployment is one of the highest in the world. Tens of thousands of families are still living with the catastrophic consequences of the spring floods, and tens of thousands of others are struggling daily with the scourge of poverty.

The old approach we have witnessed in the last eight years is no longer acceptable. Something must change, and immediately. The international community will closely monitor the process of forming the government and we will look for signs indicating whether we are heading in the right direction.

The most important issue is the quality of the proposed candidates. In this regard, fundamental questions must be asked: Are the proposed individuals capable of dealing with the challenges of the next four years? Are they strong and honest enough to resist corruption and put the interests of citizens first? There are good and qualified people outside of political parties, and if they are willing to participate in the government, they should be seriously considered for ministerial positions.

“More women should also be appointed in the coming months, in accordance with the Law on Gender Equality of BiH, which stipulates equal representation of genders, meaning that one gender is represented by at least 40%. There is a real need to achieve a better balance between men and women in governments. At this moment, Bosnia and Herzegovina is not utilizing the enormous talent that can play a vital role in the further development of the country. Therefore, I take this opportunity to call on the parties that will form the government to appoint more women,” emphasized the High Representative. 

“When forming new governments, the focus must not be on employing politicians, their friends, and relatives. Instead, the public sector should become more functional and efficient. The Government of Tuzla Canton took measures before the elections to reduce the number of ministers from twelve to eight, based on the reasonable conclusion that the efficiency of the government does not increase simply by the government being larger. The Assembly of Tuzla Canton will now decide whether to continue activities related to the implementation of this initiative. I call on other cantons to follow their example and redirect the savings made to employment programs,” said the High Representative.

Addressing economic problems and creating new jobs must be priorities for anyone forming a government, along with fighting corruption and unblocking progress in the Euro-Atlantic integration process. This is what future coalitions must immediately dedicate themselves to. This is what is expected of them because it is what citizens have clearly expressed as their needs.

“We have a chance for a new beginning. Let’s try to make sure that chance is used. All attention is now focused on the parties that accept the responsibility to be in power, and we are all closely following the developments,” concluded High Representative Inzko, according to a statement from the Office of the High Representative.