ANALYSIS

Tensions are growing, there is no decision yet: Will Schmidt impose the Election Law

And while harsh words are being spoken, it is paradoxical that officially no proposal is still on the table

Christian Schmidt: What he will decide?. ARMIN DURGUT / PIXSELL

Danijal Hadžović

A month until the elections in BiH The Election law remains a burning issue in our country. There is no solution yet, but the tensions and heated rhetoric of certain political actors are not calming down. High Representative Christian Schmidt held consultations with some of the key political actors in our country in the previous days.

Sharp attitudes

Elmedin Konaković, the leader of NiP, said after the consultation that he is convinced that Schmidt will impose changes to the Election Law.

- Once again, I express my regret because the cowardice of the leaders in Neum resulted in the fact that the OHR will probably impose worse solutions than those that were on the table there - Konaković said.

The SDA representative at the OHR negotiations, Alma Čolo, said that this party believes that it is not good to impose changes to the Election Law during the election campaign, but that after the elections they are ready to talk with all actors in order to reach appropriate solutions.

The DF, whose representative, state representative Zlatan Begić, accused Schmidt of wanting to "impose Palestine" in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

HDZ BiH leader Dragan Čović, on the other hand, says that he expects the high representative to finally amend the Constitution of FBiH and the Election Law of BiH in accordance with the verdict on the "Ljubić" appeal.


Call to citizens

Social networks do not stand still, so citizens are once again invited to the protests, which this time are scheduled for September 7th.

Many eyes were on the PIC session held yesterday. According to unofficial information, the USA and Great Britain gave firm support to Schmidt, while, on the other hand, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which is represented by Turkey in the PIC, does not support the imposition of political solutions.

And while tensions persist in society and harsh words are spoken about the changes that the high representative could impose, it is paradoxical that officially no proposal is still on the table. So far, only unofficial information has appeared, according to which the key change could be raising the minimum threshold from 6 to 7 necessary votes in each club of constituent nations in the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament for the election of the new Presidency and Government of FBiH.


The perfect gift

By hesitating for several months and calculating the possibility of imposing electoral changes, Schmidt seems extremely unconvincing and sends the message that there is no consensus in the international community regarding the electoral solution.

At the same time, raising this issue in the midst of the election campaign gave certain political options the perfect gift for radicalizing rhetoric and buying votes for quasi-patriotic populism. And that, most certainly, is not something that can contribute to calming tensions and improving relations in the country after the elections.


Less blockages

Schmidt participated in the Bled Forum at the beginning of the week. Speaking about the constitutional reforms in our country, he said that changes to the Constitution should not mean just adding "others", but to get a better organization that will mean fewer opportunities for blockades.

In Bled, Schmidt met, among others, with the American representative for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, as well as Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.