HDZ and SNSD against, all others for: Any abuse in the "Sejdić-Finci" case is unacceptable

At the session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held on November 30, a proposal by Denis Bećirović, a delegate of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was adopted by a majority vote, which sets precise bearers and deadlines for implementing the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case „Sejdić-Finci“.

This is the first time since 2009 that such an important step forward has been made in implementing this judgment. It is a significant victory for democracy in the highest legislative body of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and for policies that genuinely advocate for the affirmation and respect of human rights and civil liberties. 

After this vote in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is clear that Dragan Čović and Bakir Izetbegović must no longer artificially and partially isolate the so-called Croatian, Bosniak, or Serbian issue, but should direct their energy towards implementing the essence of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, as this is an obligation of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a member of the Council of Europe. With this vote, the Parliament ended all dilemmas and sent a clear message that the "Sejdić-Finci" judgment must be implemented, not the fabricated "Čović-Ljubić" case.

- The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina believes that with this vote, the House of Representatives clearly and loudly stated that any abuse in the "Sejdić-Finci" case is unacceptable, which some are trying to exploit to resolve the so-called Croatian issue and which, ultimately, has an interest in drawing the border of a third entity. This is unacceptable for both the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU, which must be very harsh towards those making these demands and towards those who, based on this unprincipled stance, are stopping our country on its path to the EU.

Bećirović's delegate initiative states that „the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is tasked with, no later than 90 days from the day of adoption of this initiative in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, preparing and submitting to the parliamentary procedure a Proposal for amendments to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ensures full and consistent implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case „Sejdić-Finci“.

28 delegates voted for this initiative, while only delegates of the Croatian Democratic Union and the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats voted against this proposal. Among other things, the Croatian Democratic Union, through this act, concretely and in practice demonstrated that their pro-European story is a mere untruth and that they are not ready to support the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in practice.