Laketa does not respect the 2013 Census: Equal number of Serb and Bosniak employees in the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, as well as in leadership positions

(Patria) - From December 2024 to October this year, nothing has fundamentally changed in the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, headed by Žarko Laketa, an SNSD-affiliated official, when it comes to the national structure of employees in this institution.

Data from October this year show that in the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, out of 238 employees, the number of Serbs and Bosniaks is equal at 98 each, there are 38 Croats, and four employees from other ethnic groups.

In December 2024, the data were slightly different, and the whole year was not enough for Laketa to correct the national imbalance that is at the expense of Bosniaks.

In the period from January 1, 2023, to October 1, 2024, 31 people were employed. Laketa took office in February 2023.

Of these 31 employees, 16 are Serbs, 10 are Bosniaks, four are Croats, and one is from other ethnic groups.

Regarding the ethnic structure of leadership positions in the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, the situation is as follows: Serbs hold nine positions, Bosniaks also have nine, Croats hold three, and one leadership position is held by an employee from other ethnic groups.

Data published for most state institutions, ministries, and agencies show that Bosniaks hold fewer positions than they are entitled to according to the BiH Constitution. Therefore, demands for the adoption of a special law on proportionality are already encountering resistance within the ranks of SNSD and HDZ BiH.

There are 800 fewer Bosniaks in state institutions than they are entitled to based on the principle of proportionality and in accordance with the 2013 Census. The 1991 Census is used in three state police agencies: SIPA, BiH Border Police, and DKPT, and even there, the national structure is not appropriate.