prijava
BRUSSELS, December 7 (FENA) - The election law is a symbolic but very important issue in the relations between Croats and Bosniaks that we have to finalize. When we resolve this issue, and I am convinced we will, it will only be the basis for building trust between the two peoples. In that context, we need a reform plan for the Federation of BiH, but also for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Speaker of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly and President of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović told FENA.
According to him, the political representatives of Croats and Bosniaks need a clear plan of what they want to achieve in the next four or five years.
“It is definitely the preservation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an integral state and the European path of BiH, but we need to see what we will reform in economic and social terms. How to make a step forward and make this country more functional. I think it is the responsibility of parties and party leaders who have electoral legitimacy. That is crucial and important, and I will try to create an atmosphere for that in the long run. The way we work today at the FBiH and even cantonal level is not good. We must have common plans and goals in the Federation of BiH, and then it will be transferred to the whole of BiH. That is the only way to get out of this crisis quickly, with a synergy of Croat and Bosniak parties,” Čović points out.
He said that the talks he had in Brussels yesterday were very successful, as he managed to stimulate the interest of the leadership and members of the European Parliament in the situation in BiH, and especially in the reform of election legislation, as a precondition for next year's elections.
He expects the US-European mediators in the electoral reform talks, Matthew Palmer and Angelina Eichhorst, to visit BiH next week.
“On that occasion, these talks should be brought to an end, at least in those models regarding the Presidency and the House of Peoples and the credibility of the election process, i.e. technical changes to the Election Law. I believe in the possibility of an agreement, but we must understand what the priorities are and what compromise we need to make to each other so that they are in accordance with the Constitution, and to relax relations in BiH,” says Čović.
He adds that before the announced arrival of Palmer and Eichhorst, probably in the next few days, he will try to organize a meeting of parties from the Federation of BiH in order to try to bring certain points of views closer.
“I believe that with a little effort and good will, it is possible to reach an agreement, create an environment for normal elections next year, and preserve BiH on the Euro-Atlantic path. Much will be clearer at the end of next week, when the talks at this stage will definitely be over. If we are successful, then it is to be expected that in the first or second month of next year we will adopt these solutions in the parliamentary procedure,” concludes Speaker of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly and HDZ BiH President Dragan Čović in a statement for FENA.
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