Tension continues to mount in Bosnia and Herzegovina, just one week after the president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadžikadić, announced his plans to once again run for president in 2022. There is continued talk of cessation from the leaders of Republika Srpska. Croat leaders are seeking electoral reform that would benefit them, not the will of the people. And, the talk of war resonates in the air, which is typical leading up to ta general election. Hadžikadić and I spoke about the ongoing situation in the country, his concerns, what if anything can be done, as well media coverage following his announcement. 

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On Thursday, December 9th, Mirsad Hadžikadić announced that he will once again seek the Bosniak presidential council seat in the 2022 general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only this time it will not be as an independent candidate. During today’s press conference, he also announced the formation of a coalition party, “The Country”, which will bring together other parties from around the country in a unified effort to unseat the current nationalist leadership. Following the press conference, Hadžikadić spoke to me about the strategy behind the formation of the coalition, and his decision to run once again. 

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Talk of cessation by the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to heat up at the same time leaders of the Croat nationalist party press for changes in the election laws of the country. A move considered by many that would take the country even further away from any semblance of democracy. “Troubling times” is how the president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadžikadić, describes the current situation. During our weekly conversation, Hadžikadić spoke about the most recent crisis confronting the country and his growing concerns about how the international community has decided to address the situation.

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The recent meeting of the presidency of the Platform for Progress has set a well defined course for 2022 and the general elections. This includes the formation of a coalition, which will bring other parties into fold in a united effort, as well as the selection and naming of candidates. The president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadžikadić, says he feels they have definitely righted the ship following the internal strife that caused so much chaos and discord earlier in the year.  And as a result, the Platform is well positioned now to embark on the 2022 elections. 

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On Saturday, November 6th, the congress of the Platform for progress convened and adopted a new set of bylaws.  Something the president of the Platform, Mirsad Hadžikadić, said was much overdue and has positioned the organization to participate much better in political life moving forward. Hadžikadić told me in addition, the much-delayed gathering of the convention took place on that same day, taking a huge step in addressing the internal strife that manifested itself earlier in the year and has put the Platform in a much better place as it prepares for the 2022 general elections.

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These are troubling times in Bosnia and Herzegovina There are rumblings of war, cessation, electoral reform that will only benefit those in power, and the general unrest that accompanies all of this. In my recent conversation with the president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadžikadić, he says it reminds him of 1992 and the days leading up to the war. He said it is very unnerving and disheartening to see the current state of affairs. Though he says this is common in the year leading up to a general election. Fear, as he says, is a powerful tool for the ruling nationalist parties.

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October 23^rd marked the 28^th anniversary of the Stupni Do massacre. It was on that date in 1993 that members of the Croat Army massacred over 40 Bosniak civilians in the village of Stupni Do, during the Croat-Bosniak war. Homes were looted and burned. Women were raped before being killed. The president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadžikadić, attended this year’s memorial service. A somber movement, that once again cast an ugly light on man’s inhumanity to man.

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With the general elections now less than a year away in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is troubling. The president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadžikadić, spoke with me about the “crisis” that has begun to surface once again with talks of the general elections, already beginning. He said he is troubled by what is occurring in the country, and that it seems to be more than the typical rhetoric and saber rattling leading up to an election. We also spoke about the ongoing regionals assemblies across the country where candidates are being elected to serve on the presidential council.

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The Platform for Progress presidential council will begin formal discussions regarding the selection of candidates for the 2022 general election. The eventual list of recommendations will include candidates at the canton level as well and the national, which would include a presidential candidate. I spoke with the president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadžikadič, about the process and what the next steps will be. We also spoke about the significance of the ongoing regional assemblies, where the leadership of the Platform in those regions is being established. A luxury the Platform was not afforded during the 2018 presidential election.

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The Platform for Progress continues its planning for key regional congresses, which are coming up later in September. The congresses are where the leadership for the Platform in those regions will be elected, which will include representatives on the Platform’s presidential council. During our recent conversation the president of the Platform, Mirsad Hadžikadić also shared more information about his vision for the formation of an institute for the development of a digital society, which would be based in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but would have a global impact as well.

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