WILL HDZ HAVE A SAY IN THE ELECTION OF BOSNIAKS? Interviews for the Head of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies and Deputy Director of the Border Police on May 22

By: A.Čorbo-Zećo

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The session of the Independent Board of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been scheduled for May 22, where interviews, scoring, and finally the determination of ranking lists for the election of directors and deputy directors of police bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina will take place. 

These are the positions of the Director of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies and the Deputy Director of the Border Police of BiH. These are Bosniak positions, and after the new Council of Ministers appointed all Serb and Croat officials, and canceled the competition for Bosniak positions.

The Independent Board of the PSBiH stated that ten candidates applied for both advertised positions, the position of Director of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH and the position of Deputy Director of the Border Police of BiH, while two more candidates applied only for the position of Director of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH. Among others, Enes Karić and Mustafa Selmanović are competing, and the 'biggest battle' will be between them for the position of Director of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies.

However, as Patria learns, Croats, specifically the HDZ BiH, will not be quiet during the election of these candidates either. Namely, Đuro Knežević was previously appointed as the Deputy Director of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies, and it is not at all suitable for him that Karić, whom Knežević knows from SIPA where they both worked, be appointed as the director of this police agency. Knežević is close to the HDZ, so it is already being heard in the corridors that he is lobbying the Independent Board to prevent Karić from being appointed! 

According to the old competition, Mirsad Đelilović was the top-ranked candidate, but the new Council of Ministers of BiH, at the session held on February 9 this year, appointed officials from among Croats and Serbs from the ranking list that the Independent Board submitted back in August 2022. However, due to a change in political partners from among Bosniaks who did not agree with the proposed names, it was decided to announce a new competition for the Director of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies and the Deputy Director of the Border Police of BiH. 

At that time, Fahrudin Halač and Amra Aljić were proposed as Deputy Directors of the Border Police, and they have also submitted new applications. After the interviews with the candidates are conducted, the final ranking list will be submitted to the Ministry of Security, which is the proposer at the Council of Ministers of BiH.

We remind you that the Director of SIPA is Darko Ćulum, whose mandate began in 2020, the deputy is Zoran Galić, the Director of the Border Police of BiH is Mirko Kuprešaković, while the two deputy directors at the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies are Đuro Knežević and Goran Amidžić. 
Two more vacant positions from among Bosniaks remain, after which the state police agencies will be fully staffed with new leadership.