THE MOSTAR DECLARATION on the Democratic Development and European Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Association of Independent Intellectuals “Circle 99” (Sarajevo)
The Youth Forum 99
The Neretva Forum – Branch Office 99 (Mostar)

THE MOSTAR DECLARATION
On the Democratic Development and

European Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostar, 28 February 2026

THE MOSTAR DECLARATION
On the Democratic Development and European Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Starting from the indisputable millennia-long existence of our country, and its territorial and state-legal continuity;

Having in mind the decisive expression of the citizens’ will in favor of independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Referendum of 1 March 1992, by which they plebiscitarily opted for an independent, sovereign and united state, and noting that on 22 May 1992 Bosnia and Herzegovina became a full member of the United Nations and thereby acquired full international legal personality and subjectivity equivalent to that of all other UN member states;

Underlining that Annex IV of the Dayton Peace Agreement – the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina – unequivocally confirmed the legal continuity of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina through a new constitutional structure which contains two entities, without any right of secession for either entity;

Warning against the ill-intentioned and erroneous translation and interpretation of the constitutional term “constituent” (a part of the whole) as “constitutive” (an element upon which the existence of the whole depends), since the latter is a term that does not appear in the Constitution and it has been used with the aim of misleading the public and undermining the constitutional order. It is true that the constituent peoples (Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs) are neither the sole bearers of sovereignty, nor do they possess any exclusive sources of sovereignty. Consequently, specific peoples as such cannot negotiate, as sovereignty belongs to the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, by extension, to all its citizens.

Reminding of the experience of citizens that the armed aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina forcibly imposed an ethno-political model of governance characterized by discrimination and apartheid against democracy, whose symbolic and actual illustrations include Stolac, Srebrenica, Prijedor, and other local communities;

Recognizing the candidate status of Bosnia and Herzegovina for membership in the European Union, and affirming that its democratic and European path is possible only through deep constitutional and institutional reforms;

Acknowledging that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a state of all its citizens and that the current constitutional and legal order does not guarantee equality before the law or equal access to the exercise of human rights;

Witnessing that the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been openly and continuously challenged by ethnic and nationalist policies seeking to portray the country as an inherently impossible community organized solely on tribal principles;

Having in mind the obligation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to respect and implement the judgments of the European Court for Human Rights;

Following the unequivocal will of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina for democratic, peaceful and stable development of their homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina;

We, the signatories of this Declaration – the Association of Independent Intellectuals Circle 99, the Youth Forum, and the Neretva Forum – hereby declare the following:

The reform of the Constitution and electoral legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina must lead to the establishment of a society of equal citizens, in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and the standards of the Council of Europe.
Ethnicization of political rights and state institutions contradicts the fundamental principles of democratic legitimacy, political equality, and individual rights, and undermines the country’s long-term stability. Elected representatives are obliged to act in the interest of all citizens, and not exclusively in the interest of any ethnic, religious, or party group.
Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be permanently organized as a system of ethnic distribution of political power. Instead, it must be organized as a democratic state in which all citizens are equal before the law and enjoy equal political rights, including the right to participate in the election of all public officials whose decisions directly affect their lives and rights.
Each citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina should have the right to elect each member and to be elected as a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, since the decisions of each member of the Presidency have equal constitutional and legal effect and produce immediate consequences for all citizens, regardless of their ethnic, religious, or other affiliation. The exclusion of citizens who do not identify with any so-called “constituent” peoples constitutes discrimination, as confirmed unequivocally by the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
Implementation of the judgments of the European Court for Human Rights and the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a political question but represents a constitutional and international legal obligation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is a key condition for progress of the country on its European and democratic path. Non-implementation of these judgments represents an anti-constitutional practice, which has a form of a silent coup d’état.
Members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with the current Constitution, are not ethnic representatives but elected state officials accountable to all citizens. Considering realistic timeframes, the general elections in 2026 should be conducted under existing legislation, accompanied by a clear commitment to ensure that by the elections of 2030 a single President of Bosnia and Herzegovina may be elected across the entire territory of the State.
At elections, citizens elect their political representatives according to their personal convictions. The disputable claim that a citizen who votes for a candidate from another ethnic group thereby “elects a member of the Presidency to another ethnic group” constitutes an ill-intended and anti-constitutional interpretation of democratic voting rights.
Anti-Bosnian and anti-European policies supported by neighboring hegemonic projects, previously sentenced for war crimes, joint criminal enterprises, and genocide, pose a direct threat to the survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina and must be countered through clear and decisive pro-state politics.
We firmly condemn the denial of judgments concerning genocide and war crimes, as well as attempts to reaffirm previously sentenced policies of secession, para-states, and ethnic-based territorial fragmentation through federalization or consociational models, which serve as euphemisms for further disintegration and dissolution of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
To ensure that all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina enjoy peace and prosperity in their homeland, it is necessary for all political structures to give priority to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while respecting the historical experience in which rigid “take it or leave it” or “either-or” approaches have proven unproductive and incapable of delivering progress, whereas an inclusive “both-and” approach has the potential to do so.

Through this Declaration we hereby affirm our full commitment to a democratic, rule-of-law-based, and European state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a country of equal citizens and a shared future.

For the Youth Forum 99 For the AII Circle 99

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Muhamed Hamzić, President Adil Kulenović, President

For the Neretva Forum Branch Office of the Circle 99

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Edin Batlak, President