PRESS RELEASE
The
election campaigns for local elections in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, which will take place on Saturday, 2 October
2004, were conducted mainly in a democratic atmosphere
characterized by fairness and absence of any major incidents
that might have put in question the validity of the elections.
The
most serious blow to fair campaigning was the election rally
of the Serb Radical Party, held in Bijeljina on 3 September,
during which Tomislav Nikolić, deputy president of the Party
that is otherwise based in Serbia, delivered a speech imbued
with hatred and intolerance, overtly expressing territorial
ambitions toward Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nikolić denied the
existence of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and sent a
message that his followers would not rest until Serbia has
encompassed territories from Negotin to Banja Luka. During the
rally, a song «Get ready, get ready, Chetniks» was sung,
glorifying the Chetnik troops which had collaborated with
Nazis and fascists during the Second World War.
Among
other incidents observed during the campaign were the case of
burning down of Croat flags in Stolac and the assault on Fata
Orlović in Konjević Polje on 11 September, which all
generated ethnic tensions. These tensions were exploited by
the nationalistic parties for furthering their cause. After
these events, a review of Ravna Gora Chetnik troops was
organized in Bratunac, which was seen as a serious threat by
the Bosniak returnees. Three days later, in Kozluk, a hand
grenade was thrown at the house of the candidate for the
position of the mayor of the municipality of Zvornik.
The
salient feature of the campaign was the large degree of
involvement of the leaders of religious communities, who, for
the most part, implicitly navigated the constituencies to vote
for the three nationalistic parties - SDS, SDA and HDZ. The
leaders of the Islamic Religious Community, Reis Cerić and
his deputy effendi Spahić were particularly active in doing
this. At the ceremony of opening the mosque in the village of
Miričina, near Gračanica, on 6 September,
naibu reis Ismet effendi Spahić said that he «...
will not stand by those who are ashamed of declaring
themselves as Muslims» and added that he «as a believer
shall not stand by those who in their programme do not have laila
illallah.»
On 4 September, at the opening of one of three religious buildings in the area of Zenica, Reis Cerić said: «About fifty mosques were opened this summer in Bosnia, mainly in those places where we were being slaughtered, where the concentration camps were being set up. I am sending a word those who destroy the mosques not to do that any more, for every time [they do it] we make better, bigger and more beautiful mosques.»
In
Dobruna, near Višegrad, on 29 August, a monument to Karađorđe,
Serb leader, from the eighteenth century, was inaugurated.
Also, a museum of the First Serb Uprising was opened, to
commemorate the two hundred anniversary of the event linked
with the neighbouring Serbia. Serb Patriarch Pavle led the
religious ceremony. The event was marked by a strong presence
of the representatives of the SDS, who used it for their
electoral campaign aims.
At
the beginning of September, the Cardinal and Archbishop of
Vrhbosna, Vinko Puljić, on several occasions spoke of
conspiracy against the Catholics in Bosnia and Gerzegovina,
openly requesting the help from the Holly See and the Republic
of Croatia. Puljić invited all high Croatian officials,
intellectuals, and representatives of the parties of Croat
affiliation to unite. He
advocated for the establishment of the Croat Forum, which
would ensure equality to Croats, who are «daily experiencing
inequitable treatment as compared with other two constitutive
peoples.»
When
it comes to the content of the electoral campaigns, the
representatives of the political parties used mainly the
similar rhetoric. The issues dealt with were usually far from
those that concern local communities, whose municipal
assemblies will be elected during the October elections. There
were few issues that were related to the local communities,
and the discussions focused on the integration into European
structures, employment, vulnerable position of own people, and
«high politics». Rather than expounding their ideas and
programmes, save the general promises given, the candidates
mainly tried to discredit their political opponents.
The
media coverage of the campaigns was altogether fair, and media
treated all the parties and independent candidates equally.
The electronic media debates were frequently conducted without
the presence of the candidates from the largest ruling
parties, SDA, SDS and HDZ, who probably thought that what the
religious officials were doing for their own promotion was
sufficient. The media missed the opportunity to have a
stronger influence on the voter outturn. Instead, they
broadcasted the statements of the people from the show
business and independent intellectuals who declared that they
did not intend to vote.
The
citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who live abroad have shown
little interest to participate in the forthcoming elections.
27,500 of them have recorded as voters, which is ten times
less than during the last elections. The estimates indicate
that these elections could have the lowest voter outturn among
all the post-war elections. What is particularly alarming is
the lack of the interest among the young to vote, and the
apathy of the urban population, which will abstain from voting
at the upcoming local elections.
Srđan Dizdarević
President of the BH HCHR
No
25A-09/2004
Sarajevo, September 29, 2004