The High Representative of the international community in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt (CSU), caused a stir with an outburst of anger during a visit to the country. In the small town of Gorazde, the former Federal Minister of Agriculture rumbled to journalists in English on Wednesday: “Rubbish, full rubish. I am rid of this.” (roughly: “Nonsense, utter nonsense. I’ve had enough of this.”)
The 64-year-old continued: “I’m fed up with this situation. Everyone blames everyone. Friends, that’s not how you get to Europe!” Footage of the performance made the rounds on the internet. The journalists may ask their questions – “but please accept my decision”.
Schmidt responded to a journalist’s question as to whether he was prepared to push through changes to the electoral law since there was no political agreement. Schmidt said in a rather undiplomatic tone: “The people here deserve that the politicians who elected them work and don’t just complain! That’s the core problem!” Schmidt then made it clear with a gesture that it was up to him “up to here” to be exposed to attacks that were absolutely wrong.
The next parliamentary elections will take place in Bosnia-Herzegovina at the beginning of October. The long-standing CSU member of the Bundestag has been the international representative in the capital Sarajevo for a good year. His responsibilities include implementing the 1995 Dayton Accords, which ended the war that separated Bosnia-Herzegovina from then-Yugoslavia.
As the High Representative of the international community in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Schmidt has extensive powers. For example, he can make laws or dismiss certain people from state offices.
Recently, there had been massive protests against Schmidt in Bosnia-Herzegovina when a document appeared that was supposed to contain prepared decisions on some changes in the electoral law.
The rumor went around that Schmidt could introduce a three percent clause. Due to the demographic distribution in some cantons, in which mainly Croats live, such a regulation would have disadvantaged the Bosniak part of the population in particular.
The protests in the country, where the Bosniaks make up the majority overall, were correspondingly violent. They accused Schmidt of wanting to advance the country’s ethnic division.
In the end, the reform initially contained only a few technical changes intended to help conduct the parliamentary elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October better.
In an interview with “Deutsche Welle”, Schmidt rejected the allegations made against him: “Some people had the impression that this would only reward those who live in an area with many ethnic compatriots, such as Croatians among Croatians. But that wasn’t the point at all. And above all, the impression must not be given that Bosnia and Herzegovina is to be divided into different ethnic regions. No, for God’s sake! I’m there to prevent that, I’m there to uphold the so-called territorial integrity.”
Criticism of Schmidt’s gaffe comes from the SPD. “The response of the High Representative is totally inappropriate. It damages the reputation and the effectiveness of the office,” says Adis Ahmetovic, SPD member of the Bundestag and rapporteur for his parliamentary group for the Western Balkans, the magazine “Spiegel”.
“In the currently challenging times, when Russian influence and thus attempts at destabilization are also increasing in the Western Balkans, we need a strong office of the High Representative.”
And even at the office of the High Representative itself, some experts bump into each other. “’Democratization’ by insulting unnamed elected ‘politicians’ in Bosnia-Herzegovina? By unelected officials with the absurd power to make laws by decree
