Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Quest for Change Clark Curtis

As seems to be the case every election cycle, gray clouds have once again moved in over Bosnia and Herzegovina. There remains tension over the proposed UN resolution regarding the genocide in Srebrenica as the sounds of saber rattling are loud and clear. The president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadźikadić, says the talk of war is nothing unusual during an election cycle, but the frustration is always there as it distracts from getting their message of change before the people.

A resolution regarding the genocide in Srebrenica will come before the United Nations General Assembly in May. Platform for Progress president, Mirsad Hadźikadić, says the resolution has many sponsors and there is an ongoing flurry of activity in preparation for the discussion of the resolution. Hadźikadić, says the news of the resolution is causing a lot of turmoil in Serbia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The lengthy process of joining the European Union has begun in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadźikadić, says the preliminary negotiations, as they are called, have begun to start of process of what needs to be done in order to be accepted. A process that he says could take years. 

As the messaging from the Platform for Progress president, Mirsad Hadźikadić continues to take on a much more direct and critical tone, the exposure from the national media is on the upswing. In the last ten days, Hadzikadić has again been interviewed on national TV. When we recently spoke, he shared his insights as to why the newfound interest by the media, after struggling so long to be taken seriously. 

Over the past several weeks the Platform for Progress has been receiving much more national media coverage than in the past. A welcome sign as the Platform has undergone some substantial restructuring since the very poor showing during the 2022 general election. I recently spoke with Platform president, Mirsad Hadźikadić, about the reasoning behind the new interest by the media and the upcoming local elections this Fall.

The past week marked visits from diplomats from the Europen Union and NATO, as well as the Assistant Secretary of State of Europe and Eurasian Affairs, Jame O’Brien. The president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadźikadić, said he was pleasantly surprised by the comments of O’Brien, as he was very direct and forthcoming with his assessment of the ongoing situation in the country.