ZAGREB, October 4, 2018 - Croatia's Prime Minister and leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party Andrej Plenković called on the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina to turn out in large numbers for the general election on Sunday, expressing hope that the leader of the HDZ's sister party, HDZ BiH, would be victorious.
"It is very important to us that the Croats, as the smallest, yet equal and constituent ethnic group, exercise their voting right and participate in the vote in the largest possible numbers. I am certain that in that way they will best ensure the legitimacy of all elected representatives. That's why we expect a success and a large voter turnout," Plenković told the press after a meeting of the delegations of the HDZ and the HDZ BiH in the southern Bosnian city of Mostar on Thursday evening.
He said he had come to offer political support to Čović and wish him success.
Asked to comment on a message issued by the head of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein Kavazović, that it was not good for one ethnic group to elect representatives for another, Plenković said that this was a "wise and correct" message.
"That's why I believe that all voters in this election will vote in accordance with the existing electoral system and that the principle of the Dayton/Paris constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the principle of constitutionality will be reflected in the voting process itself. It's good for the institutional functioning and cohesion of Bosnia and Herzegovina and it's good for its future," the Croatian prime minister said.
Čović said that his party had conducted a positive campaign and that he expected victory at the ballot box.
Plenković later said that the election of legitimate representatives of all three people in Sunday's general election would lead to the stabilisation of relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, advocating the equal status of the Croat people. “For us this is not only a legal issue. This is the issue of principles, ethics and morality. The respect of that can secure stability and quality relations among the constituent people as well as a better future for Bosnia and Herzegovina,“ Plenković said and the final rally of the Croatian Democratic Union BiH in Mostar.
He praised the behaviour of parties gathered around the HDZ BiH during the election campaign.
The president of the HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, thanked Croatia and Prime Minister Plenković for the support to Bosnia and Herzegovina, notably to Bosnia's application for EU candidate status and the support to Bosnian Croats' efforts to gain equality.
