News

Bosnia Approaches Polls With More Fear Than Hope

Oct 10 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkan Insight

After four years of political, economic and social crisis, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina are preparing to vote in new general elections on Sunday, hoping that new governments will finally bring the country out of its misery.

But, many fear that old ideologies and irresponsible policies will maintain the status quo, or make the situation even worse.

These fears, shared by locals and international experts alike, have been reinforced in the month-long campaign period, which was to end on Friday.

BiH citizens urged to vote in general election

Oct 07 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Xinhua News Agency

Valentin Inzko, the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), on Friday urged BiH citizens to vote in the upcoming general elections this month.

During a visit to Prijedor in northern BiH, Inzko said in a statement that voters can "decide their destiny" if they actively participate the voting.

"Voters have the right to choose and it is important that they choose a better future for themselves," said Inzko, "If you do not go to the polls, then your fate will be decided by others."

Bosnia Politicians Getting Richer, Report Shows

Oct 03 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkan Insight

A databse on the properties and assets of 160 politicians in Bosnia, produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting, CIN, in Sarajevo has drawn reactions from politicians and member of the public following its publication this week.

The database showed that the real estate holdings of many politicians have kept growing throughout their careers, this past year included.

Journalists from CIN worked on the database for nine months, gathering documentation about property ownership, vehicles, loans and incomes.

Mostar to Miss Bosnian Local Elections Again

May 15 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

After Bosnia's parliament failed to agree on changes to the electoral law for Mostar, it appears that the city will again miss out on local elections due in October.

Lawmakers of Bosnia's House of Representatives, one of two chambers of parliament, failed to adopt changes to the electoral law on holding elections in Mostar on Wednesday.

As a result, local elections expected in October will again have skip the ethnically divided city in southwest Bosnia.

Protest Marchers Pile Pressure on Bosnia's Federation Govt

May 09 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Couple of hundreds citizens staged protest marches from several towns to Sarajevo where they are demanding the resignation of the Federation entity government.

Around 200 protesters gathered in front of the Federation Parliament in Sarajevo, demanding that the authorities fulfill demands submitted a month ago by all the plenums organized in towns in the entity.

Among other things they demanded the resignation of the entity government and to be received in the parliament to address someone.

Bosnia Federation Adopts Anti-Corruption Laws

May 07 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Bosnia's Federation entity has adopted a set of anti-corruption laws, which aim to establish specific law-enforcement bodies tasked with pursuing perpetrators of organised crime.

Lawmakers in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of Bosnia's two entities, on May 6 adopted changes to laws on dealing with corruption.

The changes to the Law on Courts and the Law on Criminal Procedure, Corruption and Organized Crime allow for the creation of special units tasked with pursuing and trying perpetrators of organized crime and corruption.

Opposition Parties Ally in Bosnian Serb Entity

May 02 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Several opposition parties in Republika Srpska have formed a united 'Union for Changes', which aims to take on the governing Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, led by Milorad Dodik, in Bosnia's upcoming elections.

The Union for Changes was formally established at a ceremony held on April 30 in Banja Luka, the main city in Republika Srpska. 

Bosnian Serb Party Demands Broadcasting Regulator Post

Apr 28 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

A Bosnian Serb party said the new chief of the country's Communications Regulatory Agency should be a Serb, but the minister responsible insisted that ethnicity should not be an issue.

A row erupted after the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, a party from Bosnia’s Serb-led entity, Republika Srpska, insisted that the next head of the agency that regulates the country’s broadcasting and telecommunications sectors and allocates frequencies should be a Serb.

Bosnian Serbs Shrug off Row Over Residency Checks

Apr 22 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Leaders of the Serbian entity in Bosnia have dismissed claims that a new decree on checking people's residence targets any specific ethnic group or returnees

Zeljka Cvijanovic, Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, said Bosniak parties and organizations were raising unnecessary tensions over a recent decision regarding checks on residence in the entity. 

On Tuesday, she denied  Bosniak claims that the decision was aimed at any specific ethnic group, or against Bosniak returnees, adding that the claim was clearly related to upcoming elections. 

Serbia Ruling Party Backs Republika Srpska Opposition

Apr 14 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

The vice-president of the Serbian Progressive Party said that it would not forget the support it has received from Republika Srpska’s opposition Serb Democratic Party.

Nikola Selakovic, vice-president of Belgrade’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, told a conference of the Serb Democratic Party, SDS, in Bijeljina on Sunday that it had his backing ahead of polls due in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October this year.

Plenums Tell Bosnia Federation Govt to Quit

Apr 10 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

The 'plenum of all plenums', meeting in Sarajevo, demanded the resignation of the Federation entity government as well as a review of all privatization agreements.

Participants from plenums from dozens of towns from the Federation, one of two entities in Bosnia, gathered on April 9 in front of the entity government building in Sarajevo and read out their demands, starting with the resignation of the Federation government.

Bosniaks and Croats Unveil Joint Plan For Mostar

Apr 09 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

The two main Bosniak and Croat parties in Mostar said they would work together on economic issues in the city, putting aside their political disputes over the voting system.

Two key parties in Mostar, the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, SDA, and the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, discussed development of the troubled Herzegovinian city, adding that they had come up with a strategic document to aid the economic situation.

In a meeting on April 8, the two parties discussed the functioning of the city and cantonal authorities and revealed some of their plans. 

Dodik Accused of Manipulating Referendum Issue

Apr 02 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Bosnian Serb opposition dismiss Republika Srpska leader's claim that he may go for independence if country is not reorganised as a tripartite confederation.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik said if a deal on Bosnia as a confederation of three units is not possible, Bosnia's mainly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, RS, reserved a right to hold a referendum on seeking outright independence. 

Tuzla Gets New Govt After Mass Protests

Mar 27 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

After the governments of four of Bosnia's cantons quit in the wake of the mass protests in February, one of them, Tuzla, finally has a new government.

Tuzla Canton is the first in Bosnia and Herzegovina to get a new government since the mass protests that started in February forced four of the Federation entity's ten cantonal governments to resign. 

Members of Tuzla Canton's new government held their first meeting on March 27 after the cantonal assembly confirmed their posts the night before. 

Sarajevo Withdraws Award For Zagreb Mayor

Mar 27 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Sarajevo City Council has cancelled its earlier decision to award honorary citizenship to Milan Bandic, the Mayor of Zagreb, after he said Bosnia should have three entities, not two.

The City Council of Sarajevo has withdrawn its decision, made in February, to make Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic an honorary citizen of the Bosnian capital owing to his recent statements backing a third, Croatian entity for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Deputy Sarajevo Mayor Aljosa Campara said he hoped the decision would not harm relations between Sarajevo and Zagreb.

Crime Revelations Force Albanian Officials to Quit

Mar 25 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Three government officials have resigned or been sacked over the last two weeks after the opposition spotlighted their criminal records.

The logistics director in the port of Durres, Fisnik Myrtezaj, a recent appointment by the centre-left government of Edi Rama, resigned on Monday following accusations that he had a criminal record for drug trafficking.  

On Sunday, the opposition Democratic Party said Myrtezaj had been jailed in 2011 for three and half years for the crime.

Serbia's Vucic Vows To Protect Republika Srpska

Mar 24 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Aleksandar Vucic vowed to continue supporting Bosnia’s Serb entity after parliamentary polls in Serbia ended in victory for his Progressive Party.

Vucic said after a meeting with Republika Srpska’s leader Milorad Dodik in Belgrade on Saturday that his administration would always protect Republika Srpska, the Serb-dominated entity in Bosnia.

Bosnia Serb Opposition Unites Against Dodik

Mar 20 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Three opposition parties in Republika Srpska are forming a broad coalition aaimed at challenging the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats led by the entity president, Milorad Dodik.

Three opposition parties in Republika Srpska, one of two entities in Bosnia, on March 19 said they were uniting into one bloc - and would talk to other interested parties prior to the elections.

Croatia Ex-President Presents 'Dayton 2' for Bosnia

Mar 10 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Source: 
Balkaninsight

Former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic put forward a new constitutional model for Bosnia and Herzegovina based on multi-ethnic cantons in a bid to deal with the country’s political stagnation.

Mesic said in Mostar on Friday that it was a time for an international conference on a new constitutional make-up for the country to replace the one imposed under the 1995 Dayton peace agreement that ended the war - but his proposal was immediately rejected by the Bosnian Serb leadership.

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