Bosnian Politicians Start Campaigning for Autumn Election

Politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina have already started announcing who will run for posts on the country's three-member presidency in elections not due until October.

They have done so despite the risk that the elections might be postponed, owing to problems with reform of the electoral process.

Zeljko Komsic, leader of Democratic Front, a leftist opposition party, has announced that he intends to run for the position of Croat member of the tripartite state presidency.

He held this position twice before after winning his seat in general elections in 2006 and 2014.

By skipping the general elections in 2010, Komsic meets the criteria set by Bosnian electoral law; it is not possible to hold a presidency position three times in a row.

Bosnia is due to hold a general election in autumn 2018 amid fears that, without a new election law, it may be impossible to form of the House of Peoples [upper chamber], either at state level, or in the country's Federation entity.

The formation of a government in the Federation entity is also in doubt.

Bosnian Croats want election laws amended to ensure that the numerically dominant Bosniaks in the Federation cannot elect Croat representatives.

However, this would involve dividing the whole of the Federation entity into ethnically-based electoral units, which most Bosniaks resist.

Nermin Niksic, president of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, main opposition party in Bosnia, welcomed Komsic's announced candidacy. The SDP and DF have agreed mutual cooperation before and after the elections.

However, Marinko Cavara, vice president of Bosnia's main Croat party, the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia, HDZ BiH, on Friday said Komsic had been elected to his post by Bosniaks, not...