Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina make final campaign pitches ahead of election

With Bosnia and Herzegovina’s general election set for October 4, the two candidates vying for the Croatian seat on the country’s tripartite presidency, Zdenko Lučić and Darijana Filipović, are using the final days of the campaign to deliver contrasting messages to voters.

Lučić is promising that Bosnia and Herzegovina will join the European Union during his first term in office, while Filipović is focusing on equality among the country’s constituent peoples, European standards and unity among Croats.

Meanwhile, other candidates are making ambitious economic promises, while Milorad Dodik and Savo Minić are seeking support in Moscow.

The general election will be held on October 4, with voters choosing, among other officials, the new members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives at the state, entity and cantonal levels.

Lučić: BiH will join the EU during my term

Zdenko Lučić, the candidate for the Croatian seat on the Presidency backed by a coalition of five Croatian parties led by HDZ 1990, told a campaign rally in Livno that Bosnia and Herzegovina would become a full member of the European Union during his first term.

“I assure you that I will be your Croatian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the next eight years, and that during my first term, Bosnia and Herzegovina will become a member of the European Union,” Lučić said.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has been waiting to open EU accession negotiations since March 2024. Lučić said he believes the stalemate is the result of a long-standing political approach in which, he claims, domestic politicians have primarily worked in their own interests.

HDZ BiH candidate Darijana Filipović, meanwhile, has placed the emphasis in her campaign on equality among the constituent peoples and the country’s European path.

“We know where we are going. We are heading towards a Bosnia and Herzegovina where we know who we are. We are heading towards a Bosnia and Herzegovina that is a country of equal constituent peoples and all other people. We are heading towards a Bosnia and Herzegovina that meets European standards,” Filipović said at a rally in Žepče.

She said progress towards that goal could be achieved through knowledge and hard work, rather than political slogans and divisions, while particularly stressing the need to avoid divisions among Croats.

Izetbegović promises “three times 50”

SDA candidate for the Bosniak seat on the Presidency, Bakir Izetbegović, unveiled his “three times 50” formula in the final days of the campaign.

He said that during a four-year term he would secure 50 billion convertible marks in investment, create 50,000 new jobs, and increase wages and pensions by 50 percent.

At the same time, he opposed the type of electoral reform advocated by Croatian political parties, arguing that such a solution would diminish the value of the Bosniak vote.

Naša stranka president Sabina Ćudić responded to his accusations, saying she had one pre-election condition for cooperation: “that you stop stealing.”

Dodik and Minić in Russia

In Republika Srpska, the final days of the campaign have been marked by accusations between the authorities and the opposition.

Banja Luka Mayor Draško Stanivuković has accused the authorities controlled by Milorad Dodik of irresponsible management of public funds, highlighting the case involving compensation over the termination of a contract with the company Viaduct.

Dodik, meanwhile, travelled to Moscow in the final days of the campaign, where he was joined by Savo Minić, a candidate for president of Republika Srpska.

They announced visits to institutions and a series of political meetings, including a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Continuing cooperation with Russia is of great importance for the political, economic and every other form of stability and development of Republika Srpska,” Dodik said.