Dodik and Covic in Banja Luka: SNSD, HDZ BiH Stay Allies
SNSD and HDZ BiH delegations met in Banja Luka. Dodik wants the decisions of high representatives reviewed, and Covic expects the BiH Presidency to be constituted in about 20 days.
Delegations of SNSD and HDZ BiH, led by Milorad Dodik and Dragan Covic, met in Banja Luka on October 12, following the general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina held on October 4. For Serbia, a neighbor whose policy toward BiH is tied to these two parties, the key point is that the leaders of the Serbs and Croats publicly confirmed they are continuing together, while a deal on power in Sarajevo is still being sought. Dodik announced at the press conference that the two parties will meet next in Mostar.
Dodik said both parties had done well in the elections, and on the partnership he said:
“We are indispensable factors of political life at the level of the Federation, RS and BiH.”
He also said the election had given the Croats an authentic representative, and about the relationship with HDZ he said SNSD understands its efforts to arrive at clearly defined relations: “Today we said that we are continuing to work together.”
Who sat at the table?
Alongside Dodik, the SNSD delegation included party vice president Zeljka Cvijanovic, secretary general Srdan Amidzic, spokesman Radovan Kovacevic, and officials Ana Trisic Babic and Zeljko Budimir. Covic came with HDZ BiH deputy president Borjana Kristo and Darijana Filipovic, who won the most votes in the general elections for the Croat member of the BiH Presidency. Covic congratulated Dodik on his election victory and Cvijanovic on her re-election as a member of the Presidency.
Before the meeting in Banja Luka, Covic spent the weekend talking with SDP BiH president Nermin Niksic and SDA president Bakir Izetbegovic about forming a government after the elections.
What does Dodik want from high representatives and the Constitutional Court?
Dodik said SNSD expects four, and possibly all five, delegates in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly. He asked for the decisions of high representatives to be reviewed: those not confirmed in the BiH Parliamentary Assembly should, in his words, be removed from the legal order. He added that a law on the BiH Constitutional Court needs to be passed in this term.
On the European path, he said SNSD is not against it, but against its abuse:
“SNSD is not against the European path, but we are against its abuse and attempts to impose solutions under the European name that bypass the Constitution and agreements.”
On Bosniak representatives, he said: “We do not want to choose the representatives of the Bosniak people - the Bosniak people have chosen those they want.”
Dodik then turned to possible partners. He said the Democratic Front had disqualified itself with its rigid positions, and that SNSD had received notice from SDP but the matter “does not depend only on them.” He named Zeljko Komsic as an example of those who, in his words, have no chance because they brought down BiH’s foreign policy. He invited the opposition parties from Republika Srpska to talk: “I also call on the opposition parties from Republika Srpska to talk about a joint approach in Sarajevo.” Earlier, after the elections, Dodik told RTS that BiH remains an unsuccessful project, as we reported.
When does Covic expect the BiH Presidency?
Covic singled out three priorities: internal peace and stability, respect for the Constitution and the constituent status of the three peoples, and the European path. He estimated that the BiH Presidency could be constituted in about 20 days, meaning by mid-November, while forming the houses of peoples will take several months. According to him, the two parties also agreed to communicate daily.
He said the current Council of Ministers should already start the BiH budget procedure so the new Presidency can carry it forward. Among the first steps of the new government he listed appointing the diplomatic network, followed by the BiH Central Bank.
For Covic, the key issue is the election law. Index.hr reports that HDZ BiH and other Croat parties are seeking changes that would stop Bosniaks, who outnumber Croats four to one, from choosing the Croats’ political representatives. At the press conference Covic said:
“Never again will we end up in a situation where one people chooses the representatives of another.”
He called the election results “excellent, and some will say beyond expectations.” Asked about future partners, he answered that the majority in the House of Peoples will decide: “Whoever has the majority in the House of Peoples will be the partner.”
There is no date yet for the meeting in Mostar. The first deadline either of the two has named is mid-November, when Covic expects the BiH Presidency to be constituted.
