Bosnia & Herzegovina’s state-level ministers from the quota of Republika Srpska have blocked voting rights of citizens of Romania, Slovenia and Poland in Bosnia in the elections for the European Parliament. The ministers took the action in response to the decision of the three states to back the UN General Assembly’s resolution on Srebrenica genocide, Bosnia’s Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic said on June 5.

In May, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring July 11 the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide. That decision was fiercely opposed by Serbia, Bosnia’s Republika Srpska and Russia.

Bosnia comprises two autonomous entities – the Muslim-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska. Each of them has its own institutions and there are also state-level bodies.

Bosnia’s state-level government was forced to reject diplomatic notes from the embassies of Poland, Slovenia and Romania in Sarajevo to organise the voting for their citizens residing in Bosnia as the requests failed to secure the necessary majority of votes by ministers.

“I want to emphasise that this has never happened in such an uncivilised manner, not even with countries with which we have ‘tense’ relations. The most important thing is that we have communicated with the countries and embassies towards which Republika Srpska’s ministers acted very improperly, and there will be no damage to our relations, as people understand this well,” Konakovic told Radio Free Europe.

On X, he also wrote that such a vote by ministers from the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) – the ruling party in Republika Srpska - is not only an attack on people's right to vote in democratic elections but it also demonstrates a destructive intention to harm bilateral relations with important friends and allies of Bosnia on its path to the EU.