Not all candidates are the same, but Bosniaks have shown great disunity

The worst thing that can happen is for voters to think that all candidates are the same and not go to the polls at all, says Adis Arapović, coordinator of the Center for Civil Initiatives, a non-governmental organization from Sarajevo, in a statement to the BiH news agency Patria (NAP), commenting on the list of candidates for members of the BiH Presidency. Submissions are being made today.

- The worst thing would be if, due to the large number of candidates, and there are many among Bosniaks, many decide not to go to the polls at all. This then opens up the possibility for party voting machines, which vote in a disciplined manner, to decide everything. Then you have party delegates in power, and democracy is not the rule of parties. Because even those who do not go to the polls have made a political decision and supported the maintenance of the current situation – says Arapović.

According to him, there are at least five candidates for the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency, and there are also those whose candidacies were known to be unserious from the very start.

- You have candidates who have relevant political experience, are not politicians, and do not come from party backgrounds. This is a new element they bring with them. You also have those who have extensive political experience and have not been tarnished. You also have those who have a stable voting base behind them, which is also legitimate – says Arapović.

However, according to him, Bosniaks have shown great disunity with this number of candidacies for the BiH Presidency, which can be a particular problem.

- This is not politically mature, because whoever wins will be on the edge of legitimacy. There will always be many more who were against than who voted for the winners. It will be a Pyrrhic victory – emphasizes Arapović for NAP.