Muhasilović for Patria: Schmidt is acting like the governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, through apartheid policies, is making the HDZ a 'kingmaker'

(Patria) - It is arrogant and rude of him to act like some kind of governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This would be a continuation of what we have already seen this summer - these apartheid policies, and further cementing the HDZ BiH in power as the absolute 'kingmaker' in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In this way, professor of international relations and geopolitics Jahja Muhasilović commented on the media announcements that High Representative Christian Schmidt intends to change the Constitution of FBiH again, in a statement for the Patria News Agency.

Continuation of apartheid policy

According to media reports, Schmidt plans to enable the Government of FBiH to be appointed without the signatures of all three members of the FBiH leadership - the president and two vice-presidents. The right of veto, i.e., blocking the appointment of the FBiH Government, would be held by the (vice)president of FBiH who would receive a two-thirds majority in the Club of Peoples in the House of Peoples of FBiH from which they come, as well as a two-thirds majority in the Club of Peoples to which they belong in the canton where that people is the most numerous.

- The only one who has a two-thirds majority in the current constellation of forces is the HDZ BiH, through the HNS. They have a majority in the Club of the Croat People in the House of Peoples of FBiH, and they also have a majority in the HNK Assembly. In this way, Schmidt would essentially, in a perfidious way, further cement the HDZ BiH in power - says Muhasilović.

This is, as our interlocutor stated, a continuation of apartheid policy, appeasing the HDZ and exclusively Croats in Herzegovina, while those from central Bosnia remain completely marginalized by Schmidt's moves.

- With this move, Schmidt would strengthen ethnic division, i.e., kill the civic idea, because he would actually give power into the hands of a small minority in FBiH to decide the fate of the entire FBiH, and even the state. We would have strengthened Bosniak cantons, where Bosniaks can elect their own government, but also Croat cantons where the HDZ will be the total political hegemon. And no one else, not only Bosniak but also Croat parties, will be able to do anything there. This is just a continuation of cementing the HDZ in power and a continuation of that apartheid policy - Muhasilović is of the opinion.

He assesses that some resistance can be expected from the opposition - in this case, SDA and DF - from whom, essentially, all instruments would be taken away by Schmidt's new changes to the FBiH Constitution.

- They do not exist at the state level, and at the federal level, they would be bypassed. They have a few cantons left. Literally, the HDZ would become the absolute 'kingmaker' in the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and could decide who will be on the other side of the Bosniak parties.

Social unrest

This could now cause - some say - radicalization of Bosniaks, although no one has yet defined what exactly that means. Namely, Bosniaks, as a constituent people and the majority people, have been deprived of the right to fight politically through the system. And the only thing left to them in this case is some kind of social unrest, i.e., mass protests, perhaps even violent ones, I don't know.

Another option left to them is political disobedience in places where SDA, DF, and other parties that oppose all this apartheid are in the majority, who would then, through some political disobedience, step down from their positions, cantons would stop paying into the budget, and a political crisis would arise that might eventually force the OHR to either annul previous amendments or to go for early elections. And in early elections, I think there would be a completely different political constellation, and what they are doing now would not pass - Muhasilović points out.

Muhasilović: Further cementing of HDZ BiH (Photo: Facebook)

Schmidt's potential repeated change of what he has already changed, Muhasilović says, only shows his arrogant and dilettantish attitude towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- He is doing this with a team of people, in coordination with Croatia. However, it is obvious that they did not count on the good electoral results of SDA and DF, thinking that they would not be a relevant political factor. And of course, they did not count in their projections on the draw in Canton 10, that it could decide the entire FBiH. And they could not expect that SDA and DF would delegate so many delegates from the cantons.

These are some things they could not predict in the first imposition of amendments. And when they saw that the situation got out of control, they decided to go a step further. And this is that step further. It is about further cementing the HDZ in power and further ethnic division of FBiH - Muhasilović emphasizes.

Regional actors plus great powers

To our question about who is actually behind Schmidt's decisions, as the general impression is that he does not make them independently, Muhasilović says that there are more external factors.

- There are several. Croatia is actively lobbying. Croats have even admitted that the previous amendments were made in Zagreb in consultation with their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These are the words of their diplomats. There is also support from the USA, which encourages Schmidt, because without that support, I am not sure he would dare to do something like that. You often see Murphy (Michael, US Ambassador to BiH, op.a.) react, and that he is some kind of catalyst for the whole process.

And in Germany, there are certainly certain circles that support him. From time to time, voices of the opposition are heard, but also those who support what Schmidt is doing here. So, it is a combination of several countries - regional actors plus great powers like the USA, Germany, but also Great Britain, which is surprising - adds Muhasilović.

He is also of the opinion that Schmidt has a tailwind for re-imposing his decisions from the recent decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH, which ruled that his amendments from election night are in accordance with the Constitution of BiH.

- Definitely. That is what we were afraid of. Namely, there were serious indications that the Constitutional Court would rule as it did, because it is also a politicized institution, which deals more with some kind of political balance than legal and constitutional issues.

It is a totally politicized decision, which has certainly given him additional tailwind, where now on the international stage he can explain to people who are not thoroughly informed about how Bosnia and Herzegovina functions as a complex country that everything he has done so far is not actually unconstitutional and that he is acting exclusively according to the Constitution, which is a disgusting lie - concludes Muhasilović in an interview with Patria.

(D. Kovač)