Croatian parliament passes resolution calling for a separate Croat electoral unit within Bosnia

The resolution, sponsored by the Homeland Movement (DP), was adopted on Wednesday, the final day of the Sabor’s spring session, with 83 lawmakers voting in favour. Three MPs abstained and one voted against the document.

The text calls on the Croatian government to continue supporting the political equality of Croats in Bosnia and to oppose electoral arrangements that could, according to the resolution, undermine their ability to choose their own representatives.

It also urges Zagreb to support reforms of Bosnia’s electoral system aimed at ensuring that each of the country’s three constituent peoples can elect their “legitimate political representatives”. Among the proposals backed by the resolution are demands from Bosnian Croat representatives for the creation of a separate electoral constituency for the election of the Croat member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency.

The document criticises what it describes as “electoral engineering” aimed at outvoting Croats in elections for the presidency and other institutions. It also calls on Bosnian Croats to participate in Bosnia’s general elections scheduled for 4 October.

Herceg-Bosna and HVO mentioned in resolution’s historical context

A particularly sensitive part of the resolution is its reference to the historical role of Herceg-Bosna and the Croat Defence Council (HVO), the wartime military force of Bosnian Croats.

DP leader Ivan Penava said his party considered it important to recognise the role of Herceg-Bosna in what he described as the defence of Croat areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Herceg-Bosna was established in 1991 during the breakup of Yugoslavia, before and during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. Its leadership sought to establish a separate Croat political entity in Bosnia with the aim of eventually joining it with Croatia.

During the conflict, Herceg-Bosna controlled significant parts of territory with a Croat majority and was closely linked to the HVO. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) later ruled in several cases that senior Herceg-Bosna and HVO officials were involved in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at creating a Croat-dominated entity through the removal of Bosniak populations from certain areas.

The entity was formally dissolved as part of the peace arrangements that ended the war with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995. However, some Croat political figures in Bosnia and Herzegovina have continued to advocate for greater territorial and political autonomy, including proposals for a reorganisation of the country into three ethnic-majority regions.

Resolution reflects long-standing electoral dispute

The final version of the resolution was agreed within Croatia’s ruling coalition, led by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), after amendments softened the original draft. While some right-wing opposition figures argued that the document had been weakened, they still supported its adoption.

The resolution also calls for continued cooperation between Croatian institutions and the Croat National Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other bodies through interparliamentary cooperation.

Bosnian Croat political parties have for years argued that the current electoral system allows members of other ethnic groups to influence the election of Croat representatives, particularly the Croat member of the state presidency. Critics, however, argue that proposed reforms based on ethnic electoral divisions could deepen existing political fragmentation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The resolution comes amid ongoing debates over constitutional reforms, electoral changes and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s efforts to advance toward European Union membership.