In the race for the three-man presidency in elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, nationalist parties apparently suffered heavy losses for the first time. According to election officials, among Muslim representatives, Denis Becirovic, considered pro-European, won 56% of the vote against Bakir Izetbegovic, longtime leader of the largest Bosnian SDA party. According to the partial results, reformer Zeljko Komsic has secured a fourth term in the race for the Croatian seat.
Both hardline nationalist Milorad Dodik and his equally nationalist opponent Jelena Trivic claimed the Serbian seat this morning.
complex choice
The vote was as complex as the country itself. At the level of state institutions, in a context of growing ethnic conflicts, voters determined the two chambers of the central parliament and the presidency of three members.
The country, divided into a Serbian and a Croatian-Muslim state with a central government, elected at three levels: in addition to the state level, the regional deputies and the president and his two deputies were elected from the Republika Srpska, the Serbian part of the country. Observers assume that hard-line nationalist Milorad Dodik will once again become president of the Republic of Srpska. The 63-year-old man has held this position twice.
In the Muslim-Croatian federation, elections were held for a bicameral parliament, which will then appoint a president and two vice-presidents. Voters also choose the members of the assemblies of the ten cantons that make up the federation.
At the state level, the presidency is made up of a Croatian, a Bosnian Muslim and a Serb, who rotate as president every eight months. The central government is responsible for the military, the judiciary, fiscal policy, foreign trade and diplomacy. States have their own police, education and health systems.
Amendment to the announced electoral law
The complex and poorly functioning political system in the Balkan state grew out of the 1995 Dayton Accords, which ended the 1990s civil war with 100,000 dead. Since 1995, the UN Security Council has appointed a High Representative who oversees the implementation of the peace agreement. German Christian Schmidt currently holds the position. The envoy has formal powers to intervene in legislation and remove elected politicians.
A few moments after the polls closed, Schmidt announced a series of changes to Bosnia’s electoral law. This move gave rise to fears that it could lead to further instability in the political landscape. The new measures aim to “improve the functioning of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and ensure the timely implementation of the October 2022 election results,” Schmidt said in a statement.