EU welcomes elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The EU foreign policy chief on Wednesday said the bloc welcomes holding of Sunday's general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, during which voters decided the presidency as well as national and regional governments.

In a statement, Josep Borrell said "the elections were overall competitive and well organized."

"Citizens of Bosnia Herzegovina exercised their democratic right to vote for the authorities, who will now have the responsibility to deliver on the people’s aspirations, including on EU integration and economic prosperity and coping with the negative global impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine," he added.

Borrell said following the verification of results of the elections, the EU expects all political actors to take full responsibility and cooperate to swiftly set up functioning legislatures and governments at state, entity and cantonal levels "to focus on reforms on the EU path."

He added that on June 23 the European Council said it stands ready to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which applied for EU membership in 2016.

"The EU reiterates its unequivocal commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU perspective as a single, united and sovereign country," he said.

Since the end of 1990s war, and the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, the country has a political system dubbed as the world’s most complicated. It comprises two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Republika Srpska.

The two entities have broad autonomy and all actions require consensus from the country's three main ethnic groups – Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats.