ZAGREB, 30 Jan 2022 - Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency chairman Željko Komšić on Sunday commended Bosniak political parties for their "firm stand" on Croat parties' demands regarding election law changes, while Presidency member Milorad Dodik blamed the Bosniak parties for the failure of the Neum negotiations.
They were commenting on the lack of an agreement on electoral reform after three days of negotiations in Neum which concluded today.
No deal was reached because Bosniak and Croat parties were unable to agree on a model of electing members of the BiH Presidency from the Federation entity, and members of the Federation parliament's House of Peoples. They were also divided on the house's future powers.
Komšić did not attend the negotiations with the explanation that prior to electoral reform, Bosnian Serb officials should end their blockade of BiH authorities.
However, he commended the agreement among the Bosniak ruling and opposition parties on demands by the HDZ BiH and other Croat parties.
Komšić said it made sense to first agree on reducing the powers of the Federation House of Peoples, before proceeding to agree on a model of electing BiH Presidency members. He added that this stand was earlier supported by the Bosniak SDA and opposition parties.
SDA president Bakir Izetbegović "has remained consistent and principled," Komšić said, adding that he expects an even more radical approach from the HDZ BiH now.
The Presidency's Serb member Dodik said the failure of the Neum negotiations was proof that Bosniaks were attempting to impose their will on Croats. He added that Bosniaks would again try to impose Komšić as the Croat member of the Presidency if general elections in October were held under current rules.
"They are continuing to openly implement this policy of outvoting, of politically minimising the Croats' political representatives," he said, adding that this will adversely affect BiH because the problem of one constituent people is also the problem for all three constituent peoples.
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