ZAGREB, 7 May 2022 - Croatian National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HNS BiH) president Dragan Čović said on Saturday a new round of talks on electoral reform in BiH would be held in ten days as a result of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's initiative to avert a crisis after the next election in BiH.
Speaking to the press in Mostar, Čović said he spoke with European representatives last night to prepare the new round of electoral reform talks, even though a general election has already been called for October and Bosniak leader Bakir Izetbegović has dismissed the possibility of the initiative succeeding.
Čović said the new round was aimed at once again attempting to change the election law so that "elections can have their point and true democracy."
He said the new round was a result of Plenković's talks this week with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, and Commissioners Johannes Hahn and Paolo Gentiloni, among others.
Plenković has underlined that it is necessary to restore trust between between Bosniaks and Croats in the Federation entity of BiH because without it, it would be difficult to ensure the functioning of the country.
Čović said he expected Bosniak politicians to resist the initiative because they wanted control of the Federation, adding that no one in BiH needed that.
Asked about the HNS BiH's steps for a territorial reorganisation of BiH, he said federalisation would build a European BiH and that they would not give up on that.
He welcomed the efforts by Plenković and Croatian President Zoran Milanović aimed at achieving equality for Croats in BiH and stopping the three-and-a-half-times more numerous Bosniaks from outvoting them in elections.
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