Muhasilović for NAP: Čović's Apartheid Election Law and the Hypocrisy of the European Union

(Patria) - Professor of International Relations and Geopolitics at the International University of Sarajevo, Jahja Muhasilović, commented on the interview given today by the President of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, to N1 television.

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Čović: Nobody appointed Schmidt, there will be no impositions, it doesn't work with the opposition from RS

(Patria) - The President of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, stated today for N1 that he had a plan with the opposition from RS after the meeting in Kupres, but that they do not have the capacity to make decisions. Answering the question why he did not agree to form a new coalition n

Čović's typical style of media appearance, Muhasilović assesses, is talking about everything and saying nothing.

- He said nothing concrete to the rather concrete questions posed to him regarding his partnership with the President of RS and SNSD, Milorad Dodik.

He did not distance himself from Milorad Dodik and his policies, he only – not even directly, but indirectly – conveyed that he supposedly disagrees with some things.

He also said that HDZ adheres to the "pro-European course", although practice shows that HDZ pursues the same policy as SNSD, given that they are carrying out all these blockades – says Muhasilović.

He notes that Čović's HDZ has an exclusive interest in pushing the BiH Election Law through the BiH Parliament.

- However, that Election Law, which HDZ is pushing, while invoking BiH's European path, is contrary to European standards and laws. With that apartheid Election Law, one ethnicity would get its electoral unit – that kind of third electoral unit.

This is, again, contrary to European laws, so Čović appears hypocritical when he says he is exclusively for BiH's European path, and he is pushing such an Election Law even with the High Representative Christian Schmidt – points out Muhasilović.

Our interlocutor notes that Čović, aware of the High Representative's unpopularity, tried to distance himself from Schmidt. However, he knows very well that he would not have this much political power today if Schmidt and the international community had not pushed him after the 2022 elections, *de facto* "strengthening" the Croat cantons and creating HDZ's hegemony in the House of Peoples.

As for the blockades, Muhasilović says that Čović has again found room to blame the "Bosniak side" for them.

- He did not even condemn the Serb side, although it, together with HDZ, causes the most blockades, but he found fault with the Bosniak side, naming SDA, which is already in opposition – states Muhasilović.

Commenting on Čović's claims that the opposition from RS lacks the capacity to make decisions, Muhasilović said that this was clear to everyone from the beginning, except perhaps the Sarajevo Trojka.

- The goal of this whole story with the opposition from RS, where they sign some platforms for peace and try to build some kind of coalition, is nothing other than for Naša stranka and Narod i pravda (NiP) to buy themselves time until 2026, because they are aware that their popularity is dramatically declining.

And they are now trying to present the situation through some false spins as if something is being done, as if something is being resolved, as if some agreements are happening. However, in practice, nothing concrete is happening – the Serb opposition cannot enter power, because HDZ is the only one that can remove SNSD from power.

And HDZ does not want this, which was clearly seen from Čović's appearance today – he is not interested in removing SNSD from power, because he knows that with the fall of SNSD, he will not get a sufficient replacement in the Serb opposition, which would again mean that with SNSD's exit from power, HDZ would also be endangered.

HDZ will not cut the branch they are sitting on, Čović also said that. Dodik also said that, but certain media, especially those pro-Trojka in Sarajevo, deliberately ignore this and constantly ask a question whose answer is as clear as day – there will be no removal of SNSD from power until Čović accepts it – emphasizes Muhasilović.

He states that HDZ will keep the opposition from RS on standby, in case something unexpected happens, because a second-instance verdict against Dodik is expected at the end of May, and HDZ is not 100 percent sure how that will turn out, so the opposition from RS serves them as a backup option.

- I am skeptical that SNSD will fall so quickly, and I am especially skeptical about the removal of SNSD, because according to the rules of procedure, the Constitution, and all laws, they simply do not have the capacity to remove SNSD from power.

And as long as they do not have the capacity to pass laws, as Čović also said, the opposition from RS is not the most relevant political ally for HDZ. But SNSD and Milorad Dodik are – underlines Muhasilović.

He also touched upon Čović's claims that three federal units are the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- Čović wants a third entity, very clearly. Whether through an electoral unit, whether through an entity, whether through some other form of administrative organization, but he definitely wants that third federal unit.

This is the clear policy of HDZ and they do not hide it. However, this policy, given that he claims HDZ is a pro-European party and is pushing for these European reforms, is in conflict with European reforms.

Because pushing ethno-confederalism in BiH, which is clearly apartheid-oriented towards the largest nation in BiH, in this case Bosniaks, is not at all in line with European laws.

However, the evident hypocrisy of Europe gives him room to pursue such a policy, because it is clearly not in the interest of the European Union to normalize the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

But it is clear who is to blame. Namely, Croatia is an EU member and it actively lobbies and pushes these laws, pushes such a stance of the European Union within the European Union.

Our country is not an EU member and we are automatically handicapped because we cannot lobby more actively. The EU, with such a stance and by allowing Čović and Croatia to pursue such a policy towards BiH, clearly sends a signal that it is not interested in BiH becoming its full member as soon as possible.

BiH in this political framework, with a High Representative who imposes and changes laws, with ethno-confederalism that threatens one nation, with the unimplemented "Sejdić-Finci" and other judgments that discriminate against all those who do not declare themselves according to the principle of constituent peoples and discriminate against certain nations that are not majority in one of the two entities...

All of this together is against European standards and European laws, so Čović is lying when he says he is pushing European laws; he is pushing an ethno-confederalism that is contrary to European laws and standards, and the EU is silent on this because Croatia actively lobbies in Brussels – concluded Muhasilović in an interview for Patria.

(D.K.)