Kovačević: This is my victory over Schmidt, the concept of legitimate political representation has been abolished!

(Patria) - With this verdict, the OHR (Office of the High Representative in BiH) has been disgraced, and this is my victory over the High Representative, no matter what he thinks," said Slaven Kovačević at a press conference organized regarding the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights.

He stated that he will not wait 10 years for the verdict to be implemented, and that he is prepared to file criminal charges, as non-implementation of verdicts is a criminal offense.

At the beginning, he noted that some might problematize his national affiliation.

"I am a Bosnian and Herzegovinian, and that is not the same as ethnic affiliation. Those who do not know the difference, that is their problem. In no country in the world is it the same. In my lawsuit, I did not emphasize ethnic affiliation. I did this as a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Kovačević.

He emphasized that he has proven that there is no reasonable right to restrict his voting ability in elections for the House of Peoples and the Presidency of BiH in any way.

"The concept of legitimate political representation of constituent peoples, as stated in the Constitution, has been abolished. Because, as the Court has determined, this country should primarily ensure civic representation in institutions of power. And that ethnic representation in institutions of power is a direct blow to democracy, because the Council of Europe guarantees the rights of all citizens on an individual level. We have made sovereignty return to the hands of us citizens, all citizens, no matter how many of us there are in BiH," said Kovačević.

He stressed that citizens are the primary holders of sovereignty, no one else.

"This verdict states that the state must transition to a civic concept of representation as a fundamental principle. We do not elect the current House of Peoples of BiH in elections. People who were not even at the elections appear there. The House of Peoples is a legislative body that speaks on behalf of all citizens. And in the current situation, they are only accountable to political parties. Delegates in the House of Peoples have no legitimacy whatsoever," said Kovačević.

He continued by saying that we must move from an ethnic to a civic concept, because it is inevitable in the European Union, which, as he emphasized, is the essence of the European Court's verdict.

"This is not an attack on the Dayton Agreement. Our task is to build upon the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. BiH will never enter the European Union like this. I am interested to see what the Quint countries and the OHR, which has been disgraced by this verdict, will say. He tried to introduce an ethnic electoral threshold and then turned it into an ethnic quotient. This is my victory over the High Representative," said Kovačević.

He emphasized that the European Convention on Human Rights in our Constitution is above all other acts, and therefore the "Kovačević" verdict annuls the "Ljubić" verdict rendered by the Constitutional Court of BiH.