Source:
https://sarajevotimes.com/croatian-lead ... officials/Croatian Leader addressed Letter to high-ranking European Officials
President of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Čović, sent a letter to numerous international officials and thanked them for their continued support of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as support for the processes related to the holding of the General Elections.
Čović stressed in the letter, which FENA had access to, that international officials helped through their efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite all shortcomings, to hold elections and improve the transparency and integrity of the electoral process. The several month-long processes and dialogue that are now behind us strengthened democratic governance and transparency in our country and showed us the path that Bosnia and Herzegovina should follow as a country that aspires towards membership in the European Union. At the same time, they clearly demonstrated the weaknesses of the existing system that we must change.
“As we await the final results of the elections, it is in this manner as well that we express our absolute readiness for political and program-based cooperation with all parties and representatives who have gained the trust of their people to form government at all levels as soon as possible, and at the latest by the end of this year. This must be a priority for all of us. Furthermore, urgent limited changes to the Constitution and electoral legislation as per the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina remain a prerequisite for the political stability and progress of the country toward the European Union. All citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regardless of their identity and nationality, must have the right to stand for election at all levels of government. Constituent peoples must be guaranteed the right to legitimate political representation through the connection between their political representatives and the constituent people they represent in the joint institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the Presidency of BiH and the Houses of Peoples,” said Čović in a letter.
HNS President emphasized that disappointment by the fact that, once again, destructive electoral strategies and policies overshadowed the already commenced processes through which we are changing our country on its path towards EU and NATO.
“Such retrograde and anti-constitutional policies that we have been witnessing every day for the last two decades have brought nothing but stagnation, frustration, and disappointment of citizens in our country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the fourth election cycle already, the more numerous people in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been electing representatives of the Croat constituent people and outvoting the electoral will of the Croat community. Such a thing undermines the hard-earned trust between Bosniaks and Croats in the Federation,” stated Čović.
He added that the Croat People’s Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina remains committed to the sovereignty, territorial and institutional integrity as well as the Euro-Atlantic path of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“In this spirit, I invite you once again to participate with us, with your authority, in the transformation of our society and assist us on the demanding path of reforms that we face,” he said.
Čović addressed the letter to high-ranking European officials and the Office of the High Representative (OHR), as well as members of the diplomatic corps in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
