Relationships in the coalition and the election campaign halted the work of BH Presidency?!

The last regular session of the Presidency BiH was held on 28 July 2016. According to the official website of the Presidency, these sessions used to be held up to 3 times each month; that's why one cannot but wonder how come that the month of August passed without one single meeting of the state high ranks.

Perhaps reasons for that are in the quality of relationships among members of the Presidency whose mother parties are at the very top of the state level – SDA, HDZ BiH and PDP, while the first two are also at the top of the federal level.

Bakir Izetbegovic (SDA), Dragan Covic (HDZ BiH) and Mladen Ivanic (PDP) have again put their party before the state.

Just at the end of July, the relationship between Izetbegovic and Covic suffered because of Coordination Mechanism that was agreed with Milorad Dodik, President of the RS, so the last month was all about reconciliation of 'angry partners' who exchanged messages only via media. It is rather obvious that during that period there was no willingness or wish to hold meetings or sessions which should be called by Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic until his mandate expires on 17 November.

It was therefore curious to hear recent Covic's comment who said that he would like to see relationships in FBiH functioning as well as those among members of BH Presidency – because each decision was discussed and unanimously adopted. However, the fact that not one single session took place in August, may indicate that the relationships are not as good as they were.  

It goes without saying that all this affects functioning of the state. Izetbegovic also spoke about that context when he said 'it would be good' to disallow the Presidency members from serving as high party officials.

- We all have to do what the Constitution obliges us to do that is, to represent all the citizens in the way that does not show our political, party or national origin to the greatest extent possible, Izetbegovic said, yet he may have forgotten the statement he had made.

The total absence of sessions at the time of announcing the referendum in the RS about the 9th of January, when talks about further division of BiH have become everyday's phenomenon, including revival of so-called Herzeg-Bosnia, shows that Izetbegovic, Covic and Ivanic have forgotten whom they are supposed to represent.

The situation has not improved even after a meeting of the coalition partners Izetbegovic, Covic and Radoncic (SBB) in the Presidency building. Ever since that meeting, Covic has also managed to render support to Dodik as regards referendum, which strengthened their friendly ties.

According to the Rules of Procedure, the Presidency members may call a decision destructive to vital interest of an entity on the territory where they are elected, and they can initiate an administrative dispute before the Constitutional Court of BiH. Izetbegovic availed of this right, requesting the Constitutional Court to solve constitutional and legal dispute with the RS relating to referendum.

At the same time, Covic was touring the neighboring countries, and finalized his tour in Belgrade at Vucic's. Somewhat earlier on the same day, Dodik, Zeljka Cvijanovic, Mladen Bosic and Ivanic had consultations with Tomislav Nikolic and Vucic about referendum in the RS. That day, 2 of 3 members of the top ranks of the state, who should be representing all the citizens of BiH, happened to be in Serbia.

After the meeting, Ivanic said:

- We have to keep our dignity, and we care to return to the politics of compromise, yet that takes more than Serbs. That has to be understood by all, by Bosniaks in particular, so they stop disputing things that we care so much about, and to understand that the times of arrogance are behind us.

Justifying his visit to Belgrade, Covic said that the meeting was overwhelmed by the issue of referendum in the RS.

- I was aware that there would be various comments on my visit with Belgrade, but that was the only way to stabilize internal relationships in BiH and the neighborhood, Covic said. One of the topics of his discussions with Vucic was tense relationship between Croatia and Serbia.

The next day, 2nd September, BiH saw the beginning of another election campaign, which seemed to have started while ago.

Following their visits to the region (and even farther than that), political leaders are now paying visits to BH towns, municipalities, villages and communities, making promises that they themselves do not believe in. Come 3 October, and BH citizens will be forgotten.