Croatian Minister: We must not allow a fifth outvoting of Croats in Bosnia

“The DP has been completely clear and decisive on this. We believe a more active role should be taken in protecting the interests of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We must not allow a fifth outvoting of our compatriots there. This will be discussed at today’s coalition meeting; all options are on the table,” Vlajcic said in the Croatian Radio programme.

He added that coalition partners must refine a concrete proposal and position, stressing the need for a “reasonable approach” and a clear message that Croatia stands behind Croats in Bosnia.

Earlier this week, the DP called for a declaration to urgently launch an initiative to establish a Croatian electoral unit within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity, and for swift agreement within Croatia’s governing coalition on concrete steps that should be taken.

The party argues that such an electoral unit would preserve the functioning of the Federation of BiH and protect Croat rights by enabling the election of “legitimate Croat representatives”, describing the proposal as “easily achievable”.

Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party leader Andrej Plenkovic said he had not been informed in advance about the initiative and described it as political positioning by the party. He said discussions would take place within the coalition, but stressed that changes in Bosnia require broader agreement beyond Croats and Croatia alone.

“I have serious reservations about publicly announcing initiatives before informing coalition partners,” he said.