Bećirović Rejects Grlić Radman's Idea
Chairman of the BiH Presidency Responds to Croatian Foreign Minister's Statements on Croatian Electoral Unit, Citing European Court Rulings and International Law.
Chairman of the BiH Presidency Responds to Croatian Foreign Minister's Statements on Croatian Electoral Unit, Citing European Court Rulings and International Law.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will never agree to the formation of mono-ethnic electoral units, said the Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, directly responding to earlier statements by Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman. Earlier that day, speaking from Mostar, Grlić Radman argued that mentioning a Croatian electoral unit should not cause alarm or be seen as a threat leading to the disintegration of the state. Bećirović assessed this as absolutely unacceptable, uninvited, and unauthorized interference by certain leaders of the neighboring Republic of Croatia in the internal affairs of the independent and sovereign state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bećirović emphasized that political forces fighting for a democratic and European Bosnia and Herzegovina will never accept such a model. "Political forces fighting for a democratic and European Bosnia and Herzegovina will never allow the formation of mono-ethnic electoral units," he stated for Klix.ba, adding that the country needs a transformation of the existing model, a shift towards an inclusive, functional democracy based on civic principles.
He also referred to the obligations BiH has undertaken as a member of the Council of Europe, stressing that the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights are binding and require legislative and constitutional reforms. As he explained, these obligations contained in the rulings include the full and direct application of standards prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal voting rights.
"Their implementation implies a systematic harmonization of the constitutional and electoral framework with European standards of individual rights and freedoms," Bećirović said. In other words, the right to candidacy and political representation must belong to every citizen under equal conditions, without exceptions and without ethnic barriers.
Only a normative framework based on equality, non-discrimination, and the functionality of institutions, he argued, can ensure a stable and sustainable democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also emphasized that the final rulings of the European Court of Human Rights do not allow for partial solutions but require systematic alignment of the constitutional and electoral framework with European standards.
Bećirović called on officials of the two countries to improve interstate relations in a democratic spirit and through dialogue, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Instead of unauthorized interference in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said it is far more appropriate to develop good-neighborly cooperation based on equality and mutual respect. He reminded that both BiH and Croatia, as UN members, are bound by the principles of international law.
He particularly highlighted the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States, UN General Assembly Resolution 2625, adopted in 1970. "This declaration formulates principles of international law that bind all states in the world," he said, listing among the seven key principles the sovereign equality of states and the prohibition of intervention in the internal and external affairs of sovereign states. These principles, he added, represent an authentic interpretation of the UN Charter.
He also referred to the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of which Croatia is a signatory, committing to respect BiH's sovereignty. That agreement, he suggested, leaves no room for unilateral moves that would undermine the internal order of a neighboring state.
"The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina do not need any false emancipators or promoters of policies that have no connection with European democratic standards and principles," Bećirović concluded. It is time, he said, for certain leaders of the neighboring Republic of Croatia to choose between Tudjmanism and international law, opting for the latter, as it is a guarantee of a secure future for the citizens of both countries.
