SDA and HDZ Privatise the Process: We Reveal the Names of the Commission Members Who Will Propose the Election Law

(Patria) - The leaders of SDA and HDZ, Bakir Izetbegović and Dragan Čović, announced that party commissions will start negotiations on changes to the Election Law next week. Patria learns that the Commission on behalf of SDA includes Alma Čolo, Sedad Dedić and Halid Genjac, while the views of HDZ will be defended by Borjana Krišto, Bariša Čolak and Josip Merdžo.

It was difficult to reach those appointed today, and only Alma Čolo responded, briefly commenting that there is still no proposal.

Her party leader said that a model solution should be crystallised by the end of April. However, the leaders' statements already showed from the start that the commissions will have a difficult job. While Izetbegović speaks about the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH in the Ljubić case, Čović on the other hand clearly underlined the HDZ's priority, which is the election of the member of the Presidency of BiH and delegates to the House of Peoples of the Parliament of FBiH.

Although many believe that the new charade by Čović and Izetbegović is just another time-buying exercise that will not yield concrete results, the latest meeting is nevertheless a clear confirmation that these two parties have privatised decision-making processes, especially in FBiH. The story about key reforms is again being moved out of parliamentary benches, and other political actors are treated as reserve players who only need to contribute to an already developed strategy. This is problematic, but Patria's interlocutors believe that any concrete proposal on paper would be a step towards breaking the vicious circle of deinstitutionalisation of processes in BiH.

- It is the legitimate right of parties to propose solutions. The non-governmental sector can also do that. An official proposal must come to the Parliament, but I honestly think nothing will come of it. No political agreement was reached yesterday; this is just one in a series of meetings, believes SDA representative in the Parliament of BiH Šemsudin Mehmedović.

The president of the Independent Bloc, Senad Šepić, is much more specific. He believes that the leaders of SDA and HDZ do not have the capacity for an agreement because there is enormous mutual distrust.

- I think that in terms of an agreement, they only have promises that everyone interprets in their own way. Their privatisation of processes in BiH is problematic for me primarily because they cannot do anything. On the other hand, these two parties are the most responsible because all other attempts to reach certain solutions through institutions have been blocked, Šepić believes.

SDA and HDZ are aware that they cannot adopt the Election Law on their own in the institutions. According to Saša Magazinović (SDP), with such actions they are trying to persuade representatives of the international community to once again twist the arms of elected representatives from other parties in order to adopt amendments to the Election Law.

- I believe they have an agreement, but as a person who cares about a civic BiH, I hope they will not be able to implement it. It is good that they have formalised the story about cooperation on preparing the law, but I am not optimistic that it will reach the parliament because going public without pre-prepared support from other parties carries too much pressure, says Magazinović.

After the new meeting between Izetbegović and Čović, it is clear that caution imposes itself as an imperative for optimism, because it is almost certain that institutions in BiH will remain trapped in the aspirations to impose as binding the agreement of those who still believe they are the only legitimate representatives of the people.