Haris Silajdžić for NAP: Others have also conceded to Čović, but no one has proactively acted in favor of HDZ BiH like the Trojka!

Interview by Delvin Kovač

The Trojka and their affiliated representatives are actively working to satisfy HDZ. We see this in the proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament.

They are doing everything they can to put the successors of the HZHB ideology on the front line of defense of BiH, which is a first-class betrayal of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This was stated, among other things, in an interview for the Patria News Agency by the Party for BiH representative in the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, Haris Silajdžić.

At the session of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament on November 28, amendments and additions to the Rules of Procedure will be considered, which have met with a strong reaction from the opposition, who warn that the Trojka's sole intention is to fulfill the wish of HDZ BiH and Dragan Čović in this way, and to install Marin Vukoja, who is close to him, as a judge of the Constitutional Court of BiH. How do you view these new concessions by the Trojka to their coalition partners in the FBiH, even though they claim all along that the allegations of their concessions are just "empty talk"?

Silajdžić: We are not talking about the incompetence or concessions to HDZ BiH here. Therefore, these are significantly weaker forms of responsibility. Someone in the past might have made a mistake, been careless, and through their incompetence and ignorance, somehow satisfied HDZ, being outsmarted and tricked by HDZ.

We can say that there have been concessions under pressure from Dragan Čović's party. Simply, you enter a system when you have to do something in return, probably to get something on another point of political practice, and so you concede because you think it is a necessary evil.

However, this is something new. For the first time, we see someone from the pro-Bosnian bloc – to which they at least declaratively and based on their voter base belong – proactively working in favor of HDZ. We have not seen this before in the new socio-political system of BiH.

Therefore, the Trojka and their affiliated representatives are actively working to satisfy HDZ. We see this in the proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament. Not only does it seem that way to us, but the Trojka and others have made more concrete moves for Marin Vukoja to enter the Constitutional Court of BiH than HDZ BiH and the entire HNS have made.

They are doing everything they can to put the successors of the HZHB ideology on the front line of defense of BiH. This is a first-class betrayal of BiH. The case of Fikret Abdić cannot be compared to this, because those were wartime circumstances that also resulted in casualties on the side of the defenders of the Republic of BiH, but in peacetime circumstances, I maintain that this is unprecedented.

Indeed, siding with the opponents of civic BiH is unprecedented. However, I hope that at least some individuals from the Trojka will see where this is leading and will not participate in this hellish plan.

The proposed amendments and additions to the Rules of Procedure also significantly limit the rights of representatives, i.e., their freedom of expression in the FBiH Parliament. What is actually happening and what do you find problematic?

Silajdžić: Ideally, the Rules of Procedure are amended to improve the work of the parliament and preserve democracy. Unfortunately, the proposed amendments generally do the opposite – they undermine the integrity of the Federal Parliament, the institution of the Rules of Procedure, all in order to enable a flawed procedure for electing a judge of the Constitutional Court of BiH, and more importantly – to settle scores, now and in the future, with all representatives (not just those from the opposition) – more specifically, their freedom of expression.

The amendments to the Rules of Procedure give additional authority to political power brokers from the shadows, at the expense of the representatives, and in this way lead to the "capture of institutions," i.e., the parliament in this case.

Understanding the above, the proposers offer this through an "expedited procedure," without the opinion of the Legislative-Legal Committee (based on a Conclusion that did not have the opinion of the same committee) and in the hope that the amendments will have retroactive effect. It is clear to everyone that we are entering a gray area of legality and constitutionality (which will certainly be questioned later).

In a statement to Patria, the head of the DF Club in the House of Representatives, Mahir Mešalić, announced that at the next session he will demand that Edina Gabela from the Party for BiH, for whom Mirjana Marinković Lepić gave her proxy, does not lead the session because, as he says, there is no logic for that given that she comes from the opposition. How do you comment on this?

Silajdžić: It should be emphasized that Edina is the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and she has an obligation, among other things, in certain situations to lead parliamentary sessions. However, the issue of the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament should be resolved as soon as possible.

I think all of this is related to the work of the Election and Appointment Committee, which is not being held for a longer period due to the obstruction of the committee's president, Mladen Bošković. Namely, Bošković refuses to convene the continuation of the fourth session, which was interrupted, and at which the list of candidates for judge of the Constitutional Court was to be decided, but he is trying to first change the composition of the Committee itself, so that Marin Vukoja would be the sole candidate for judge of the Constitutional Court.

The consequence of this situation related to the Constitutional Court is also the inability to consider the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament. The key to resolving the situation is in Bošković's hands, who needs to convene the continuation of the fourth session and unblock the work of the Election and Appointment Committee of the Federal Parliament.

Mešalić also told us that he will ask the Party for BiH to declare whether it is in opposition or in power, given that your representatives, as he stated, participated with amendments in certain legal solutions, "pushed" the agenda several times, supported the FBiH Budget Rebalance for 2023 and the borrowing of 200 million KM... How do you respond to him?

Silajdžić: It is common knowledge whether the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina is in power or in opposition, and voting on individual items is related to the content of the agenda items themselves, where we do not believe that the opposition must be against all agenda items that are proposed.

In addition, both SDA and DF have voted for several items, from certain laws to the agenda when the ruling party did not have enough votes even to adopt the agenda.