Plenković: Trust between Croats and Bosniaks in BiH will be rebuilt by ending the outvoting of Croats

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković believes that the quickest way to rebuild trust between Croats and Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina is to stop the practice of outvoting Croats in presidential elections. He described the current electoral system as an anomaly that deviates from the original intent of the Dayton Agreement.

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My impression is that Ms. Filipović... has the greatest chance and I hope she will get support and be one of the three members of the Presidency in the future.

Plenković argued that the Dayton Agreement aimed to end the war and foster trust, which could be achieved through a new electoral architecture. He suggested that adopting such changes would help set aside current tensions and improve inter-ethnic relations. He also stated that he would oppose a scenario where Croats impose their political representatives on Bosniaks, emphasizing Croatia's efforts to mediate and improve relations among the three communities.

During a meeting with Bosniak religious and political representatives, as well as Serbian officials, Croatia has been working to facilitate trust-building. "I think we have done a lot to soften these relations, to bring them closer," Plenković said. He noted that Bosniaks have elected Željko Komšić as the Croatian member of the Presidency four times, a practice that is expected to continue with Slaven Kovačević's candidacy in the upcoming elections.

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The meaning of the Dayton Agreement was to stop the war and restore trust. And trust can be built with a fairly simple agreement on a new electoral architecture. And then, in my opinion, all these tensions would be put aside. Trust would be built.

Addressing the presence of two Croatian candidates, Darijana Filipović from HDZ BiH and Zdenko Lučić from the opposition, Plenković acknowledged that this could lead to a split in Croatian votes. However, he expressed strong confidence that Filipović, representing the sister party HDZ, has the best chance of winning the election in the fall and becoming one of the three members of the Presidency.

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I think we have done a lot to soften these relations, to bring them closer.