ALTHOUGH HDZ INSISTS There is neither space nor time for new talks on BiH Election Law

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – Although some political parties are announcing and calling for a new round of negotiations on amendments to the BiH Election Law and the BiH Constitution, primarily the president of HDZ BiH Dragan Čović, some of the key actors doubt that such an outcome is possible. Neither the president of SDA Bakir Izetbegović clearly committed to new negotiations, and given the failure of the last round conducted in the format of HDZ, SDA, SBB, NIP, NES, HDZ 1990, any other attempt must include all parliamentary parties or clubs whose hands are needed for amendments to the law and the Constitution.

Vice President of SDA Adil Osmanović, appearing today on Rezime on FTV, said he believes there is neither space nor time for seriously entering into new talks on amending the BiH Constitution and the Election Law.

"We are already a month past the deadline when the CEC should have made a decision on holding the General Elections in BiH. Therefore, once we entered the election year, it was very difficult to expect that certain progress would be made, especially what HDZ BiH is demanding. A solution could have been found if we had explicitly adhered to the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and the decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH, which is to truly resolve the issue of the Sejdić-Finci ruling, then the Pilav ruling, the Zornić ruling, and the Pudarić ruling. Nowhere is the election of a member of the Presidency in the Federation as a Croat problematized. BiH's obligation is to resolve these rulings before these General Elections. But the influence of the Republic of Croatia as an EU member state through certain mediators who came to BiH on behalf of the EU has apparently overemphasized the HDZ issue and the achievement of HDZ goals. The problem is not Željko Komšić, who was elected as a member of the BiH Presidency. He was elected in accordance with the Constitution and the law. In my opinion, a bigger problem is Dragan Čović, why he perhaps does not have even 0.5% of the votes of other citizens in BiH but only focused on some area of Western Herzegovina. The very way the talks were set up is wrong."

Osmanović emphasizes that the 2018 elections were held in accordance with the Constitution and the Election Law.

"It's just that back then there was a CEC that was tailored to HDZ and SNSD, and now the CEC is not tailored to HDZ and SNSD, and that's why they have such a reservation towards the elections that should be held in 2022. The elections will be held, the messages from the strongest EU countries are completely clear. A boycott of the elections may occur, but their blockade must not happen. I think HDZ should not engage in blocking the elections in October 2022. The question is how they will behave afterwards," says Osmanović.

The envoy of the German Government, Manuel Sarazzin, is also visiting BiH, and he very clearly stated that the elections in October must take place. The same opinion is held by the EU and the US Embassy.