Divisions in the Bosnian Presidency

The latest public fears of the ruling Democratic Action Party (SDA) that the Bosnia-Herzegovina opposition is secretly preparing for a coup seem to have been founded. For the first time since the war broke out, the opposition seems to be coordinated and in agreement, and has started its first decisive battle with the authorities with only one possible outcome: the removal of the one-party rule and national monopolies of state institutions.

The first step was taken by opposition members who spent the last two years (un)consciously lending support to the authorities in their declarative promotion of a unified, civil state, Bosnia-Herzegovina but actually dividing the nation.

Five presidency members (Tatjana Ljujic-Mijatovic, Nijaz Durakovic, Ivo Komsic, Mirko Pejanovic and Stjepan Kljuic), as members of the supreme military command, addressed the public in a statement to distance themselves from the introduction of religion as ideology and an instrument in parts of the Bosnia-Herzegovina army. "That process is underway without us and despite our warnings. We remain firm in our belief that the army that is defending and will in future safeguard the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina must be secular and multi-national, outside the influence of political parties".

The statement was not signed by the other two members of the state president (Izetbegovic and vice-president Ejup Ganic).

The excuse for the statement by the five presidency members is the exhaltation shown by Izetbegovic and Ganic when they address Muslim troops but it's clear that there is coordinated opposition activity behind the rift in the presidency.

Izetbegovic and Ganic denied all the claims in the statement in the calm manner of national leaders who always know what their people think. They said the statement caused negative reactions among most of the population and in the army and even met with protests and condemnation. They said religion wasn't being used as an ideological instrument and added that "the manifestation of religion will be free everywhere even in the army" but failed to mention that members of other confessions could freely express their religious feelings in the Bosnia army. They invoked the tragedy of the Muslim people in this war which was to serve as an instrument to protect primarily party interests: "It's indisputable that one of the goals of the aggressor was the destruction of religion as the main identity and spiritual bulwark of the Bosniac people who were targeted. Over 800 mosques were destroyed in Bosnia. Pronounced expressions of religion in some of our units, especially those made up of people expelled from their homes, is often a spontaneous reaction to this unprecedented destruction of religious artifacts and is wholly understandable."

But there is a battle cry at the end of their statement: "Count the graves! The fate of this country will be decided by the people who are fighting, working and dying for it!". That is a clear message that as leaders of a national party, not equal members of the presidency, Izetbegovic and Ganic see the distancing of the other presidency members as a challenge. This is a public declaration of the war in the presidency and it can't be whitewashed painlessly. The fate of Bosnia-Herzegovina depends on its outcome.

There's still a lot on the Izetbegovic-Ganic side, from monopolies over virtually all state, economic and social institutions, to radical methods of compulsion at their disposal.

The opposition and their presidency members have the dissatisfaction of the population on their side, the stalled peace agreements and legal methods as presidency members.

Although it's unreasonable and too soon to expect them to oust the presidency president (whose one-year mandate is four years old this winter), the founding of a shadow cabinet could be the expected next installment of the infighting on the Bosnian political scene.