Citizen rage in Mostar – “The EU speaks to the mafia, but not to us“

Mostar, the city on the green Neretva River, stands as a sad symbol for where blind nationalism and hatred of others will lead you. The numerous ruins and skeletons of buildings shot to pieces in the urban landscape along the still existent ethnic dividing lines still bear witness of the brutal fights twenty-five years after the end of the Bosnian War. Even though those were officially ended, the conflict is still being further fuelled by the relevant actors as a Cold War – with the goal of remaining in power.

Croatian and Bosniak extremists are to be blamed for that, represented by the nationalist parties Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) and the Party of Democratic Action (SDA). The two factions have divided the city – and primarily the budget of Mostar – among themselves and now use it without restraint, for the benefit of fellow party members and favourites. In order to prevent all parliamentary control, they have blocked people from going to the polls in Mostar for over a decade, a unique occurrence in Europe.

Now there is a pact between the nationalists – accordingly, for the first time elections are supposed to be held again in Mostar in December 2020. The so-called “agreement“ was also supported by the international community, above all the EU and the USA.[1]

And it is precisely this approach that has provoked the resentment of the citizens. The Mostar candidate of the Naša stranka party, Irma Baralija, called it a “plan from hell“ in an interview after the deal became known[2]. From the perspective of those who were advocating an undivided Mostar, the agreement and the consequential amendment of the Election Law was “disastrous.“

Baralija sued Bosnia and Herzegovina before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and won the case. The court judgement of October 2019 gave the Bosnian authorities six months’ time for implementing the decision. However, Baralija is not satisfied with the current situation – and together with her, many other citizens are at odds with the agreement that seems to be opening questions rather than answering them.

Indeed, the elections are now planned for December 20, at least that part of the agreement has found the approval of the inhabitants of Mostar. However, the second part of the agreement is highly debatable, as in response to pressure of the nationally oriented HDZ BiH a claim to power has been formulated at the state level, which appears grotesque; the underlying desire is that the party wishes to permanently establish its claim to sole representation of the Croats living in the country. That certainly has nothing to do with democratic, European principles.

Likewise, from over nine parties, only two did contribute to the agreement. And precisely that has been met with resistance by many citizens. The EU is setting inacceptable “double standards“ by supporting the agreement, Amna Popovac assesses the situation; a self-employed entrepreneur from Mostar and local politician of the still young party Platform for Progress. Popovac is demanding: “It would be nice if the EU would implement its principles, which apply everywhere in Europe, here as well“, she says angrily. “We are not some project, we are a state.“

“I am the sovereign!“

Apparently one also needs to explain to the international representatives why citizens constitute a state, the political scientist Husein Orucevic from Mostar emphasises, who is standing for election on the independent list Right on the City. Orucevic is asking provocatively what legitimacy the two nationalist leaders even had to make an agreement affecting all inhabitants of the city? “Who is Bakir Izetbegovic (Note: chief of the SDA), who is Dragan Covic (Note: chief of the HDZ BiH), to have the right to conclude this agreement? I am the sovereign here. The citizen!“, Orucevic states categorically.

The candidate of the First Party of Mostar, Adela Gosto, believes that the role of the EU is highly questionable: “Is such a power struggle desired in Mostar, is the EU manipulating us here, and if it is – why?“ she is asking. It is a priority for Gosto to prevent the unrestrained exploitation of public finances by the SDA and the HDZ BiH. There is enough money in Mostar, however it is lining private pockets, the young politician laments. Laws and the Constitution have been violated for years – without having any consequences.

Marin Bago, an environmental activist, who will stand in elections for the first time as a candidate on the independent list Right on the City, acknowledges: “This agreement only came in existence because there is the judgement from Strasbourg. In the form in which it was launched, it was not in the interest of the citizens though to support democratisation and reforms of the corrupt structures.

Selling out European values: What about the responsibility towards the citizens?

“I believe that the main motive of the representatives of the European Union who have negotiated this agreement was their own career. They merely helped in agreeing something before the expiry of the deadline (established by the European Court in Strasbourg, author’s note). It was a clever move of the European Union for the advancement of personal careers, without a vision, without respect for the citizens of Mostar, without responsibility!“ Overall, Bago concludes, the agreement is clearly violating European values.

The entrepreneur Amna Popovac agrees: “The people sitting in the European Parliament should know that their representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina is violating international agreements, by promoting that agreement. Under the pretext of introducing democracy, international law is violated here – and we, the citizens of Mostar, continue to be enslaved.“ Popovac wants to show with her candidature that real politics with creative force can be made in Bosnia and Herzegovina again, and especially in Mostar – beyond the destructive approaches of the nationalist forces.

Overall it is good that now, after all those years, elections are being held again, that is the general tenor on the Neretva. The non-transparent and extra-institutional realisation of the “agreement“, and the non-inclusion of all actors who cannot be classified into the nationalist categories, is aggravating the citizens though. Therefore, they are already calling it “non-agreement” in colloquial speech.

The pensioner Jasminka Torlo, who fled during the war with her family to Norway and only came back after the end of the armed conflicts, emphatically demands: “We need more Europe here, we particularly need to strengthen the civic principle.“ According to her, that is the only way to achieve democratic success.

In this context, the publicist Stefica Galic points to the problem of all judgements of the European Court of Human Rights against Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sejdic-Finci/Zornic/Pilav), which still have not been implemented. They are clearly connected to the civic element in the Dayton Constitution, so that citizens of other “nationalities“ can stand for elections, Galic emphasises, even when they do not belong to the majority group. Representatives of the Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs, established as constituent peoples by the Constitution, exploit their special position in the country for themselves and their parties mercilessly. Democratic fundamental rights are trampled all over in this way. The ethno-nationalists have blocked the implementation of the Strasbourg court judgements purposefully, in some cases for over ten years, Galic criticises. Bosnia and Herzegovina is thereby prevented to catch up with European standards. This permanent blockade needs to be ended finally, Galic says.

Entrenchment of destructive nationalism

While the Head of the EU Delegation Johann Sattler is praising the agreement as a “shining example“ on the reform path, precisely the opposite effect is achieved in the view of many citizens of Mostar: The international community legitimises the nationalists, their influence is further reinforced, NGO activist Vernes Voloder argues for instance. Together with an organisation, Voloder is working on mitigating the apartheid-like situation existing in some schools and enable Catholic and Muslim children a normal coexistence, if only for a few hours.

 “The international community has embarked in the game and suspended the state by accepting such agreements“, Voloder says. “We are witnessing how important decisions for the future of this state are made in pubs and backrooms. Already several years ago, Milorad Dodik, the Serbian representative in the State Presidency, and Bakir Izetbegović discussed some of those reforms in a pub in East Sarajevo“, he criticises. Besides that, Voloder points out the current attacks from the neighbouring states: “Visits of important party representatives from Zagreb and Belgrade occur frequently. The region is currently attempting with an increasing intensity to circumvent state institutions in Bosnia and to reduce Bosnia and Herzegovina to three ethnically exclusive parts.“