Bosnia & Herzegovina
Political Environment
Bosnia and Herzegovina's internal political environment in the years 2004 and 2005 was marked by sharp controversies that divided the county along ethnic lines. The ethnic cleavage once again demonstrated the need of profound reforms of the very texture of the state, which could be achieved only through forging the necessary constitutional amendments. As a result, the possibility of a future revision of the Dayton Agreement of 1995, which incorporates the Constitution of the republic, was brought out.
Three possible variants for change were put forward – strengthening the already very influential Office of the High Representative (OHR), reducing the OHR's prerogatives and eventually abolishing the institution in the name of democratic development, and suspending the existing constitution and calling a constitutional convention to elaborate on a new one. However, no true debate on constitutional revisions was initiated.
The High Representative, appointed by the international community to monitor the implementation of the civilian aspects of the 1995 Dayton Agreement, continued to be the most influential figure in Bosnian political life. In an atmosphere of ethnic division that stalled all political reform, fourth High Representative Paddy Ashdown turned out to be the only incentive of change. On various occasions in the period 2004-2005, though through resorting to political pressure and financial sanctions, he managed to streamline political relations. On January 31st 2006 Paddy Ashdown was replaced by Fifth High Representative Austrian Christian Schwarz-Schilling.
The three nationalistic parties - the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), the Bosniak (Muslim) Party of Democratic Action (SDA), and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which won the 2002 parliamentary elections and formed a coalition government, continued to dominate the Bosnian political spectrum both on a federal and on an entity level. The coalition national government, headed by Adnan Terzic, enjoyed relative stability, though it failed to implement most of the outstanding reforms indispensable for the country's EU and NATO association.
Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as of 2003 is Ahmet Hadzipasic, and President continue to be Niko Lozancic. In the Serb entity of RS, Dragan Cavic still serves as president. In February 2005 he replaced prime minister Dragan Mikerevic with Pero Bukejlovic. Pero Bukejlovic was removed from office in January 2005, with a new RS prime minister still to be appointed.
Another personal change took place in the tripartite Bosnian presidency, with Paddy Ashdown removing Croatian representative Dragan Covic, who was standing trial on corruption charges before a Bosnian court, in April 2005. On 9 May, Ivo Miro Jovic was confirmed as the new ethnic Croatian member of the Presidency. At present the other two members of the presidency include Serb Borislav Paravac and Bosniac Sulejman Tihic.
On October 2nd citizens of both entities voted in local elections. In Mostar, these were the first elections for a united city assembly following the abolition of the municipalities by Lord Ashdown in January of 2004, while in the district of Brcko they were the first elections ever after the founding of the district in March 2000.
The status quo in RS was upset, with the so far dominant SDS holding majority in only 42 municipal council across the entity, as compared to 55 after the 2000 local elections. The moderate Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), led by former Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, made a strong showing, especially in RS's capital Banja Luka where it received four times as many as the second-ranked SDS. The third ranked Party of Democratic Progress, headed by then RS prime minister Dragan Mikerevic lost the most votes since the 2002 parliamentary elections.
Results in the predominantly Muslim Bosniak-Croat Federation were less unexpected, with the ruling SDA once again proving itself as the strongest party by winning in 18 new municipalities and improving its results compared to the 2002 parliamentary elections. The Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia (SDP) also performed well, with the SDP winning in Tuzla, Bihac, and three municipalities that are part of the city of Sarajevo.