Haris Silajdžić

Haris Silajdžić (Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [xaris silajdʒitɕ]) (Cyrillic: Харис Силајџић; born 1 October 1945) is a Bosnian politician and academic who served as the 5th Bosniak Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 6 November 2006 until 10 November 2010[1] and as the 3rd Prime Minister of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 25 October 1993 to 30 January 1996.

Haris Silajdžić
Silajdžić in August 2007
13th Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
6 March 2010  10 November 2010
Prime MinisterNikola Špirić
Preceded byŽeljko Komšić
Succeeded byNebojša Radmanović
In office
6 March 2008  6 November 2008
Prime MinisterNikola Špirić
Preceded byŽeljko Komšić
Succeeded byNebojša Radmanović
5th Bosniak Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
6 November 2006  10 November 2010
Preceded bySulejman Tihić
Succeeded byBakir Izetbegović
Co-chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
3 January 1997  6 June 2000
Serving with Boro Bosić (1997–99)
Svetozar Mihajlović (1999–2000)
PresidentAlija Izetbegović
Živko Radišić
Ante Jelavić
Preceded byHasan Muratović (as Prime Minister of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Succeeded bySpasoje Tuševljak (as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
President of the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
13 April 1996  6 March 2012
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAmer Jerlagić
1st Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
31 May 1994  31 January 1996
PresidentKrešimir Zubak
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byIzudin Kapetanović
3rd Prime Minister of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
25 October 1993  30 January 1996
PresidentAlija Izetbegović
Preceded byMile Akmadžić
Succeeded byHasan Muratović
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
20 December 1990  30 October 1993
Prime MinisterJure Pelivan
Mile Akmadžić
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byIrfan Ljubijankić
Personal details
Born (1945-10-01) 1 October 1945
Breza, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia
NationalityBosnian
Political partyParty for Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996–present)
Other political
affiliations
Party of Democratic Action (1990–1996)
Spouse(s)
(m. 2016)
Children1
ResidenceSarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Apart from those two positions, Silajdžić was also the Co-chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 1st Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Career

Early political career; Foreign and Prime Minister

From 1990 to 1993, during the Bosnian War, Silajdžić served as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and as the Prime Minister from October 1993 to January 1996. Originally, he was a member and vice-president of the Party of Democratic Action, but broke away from the party in 1996 by funding his own Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH).[2] His SBiH entered the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and become one of the leading Bosnian Muslim parties the following year.[3] Also from 31 May 1994 to 31 January 1996, Silajdžić served as the first Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the war, he was a strong ally and type of a consultant of Alija Izetbegović, the first and only President of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After the end of the war, on 3 January 1997, he was appointed to the position of Co-chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving alongside Boro Bosić and Svetozar Mihajlović until 6 June 2000.

Presidency (2006–2010)

Silajdžić and Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader discuss Croatian-Bosnian relations, cooperation in energy, and the continuation of Euro-Atlantic integration processes on 27 May 2010 in Zagreb, Croatia

Silajdžić had a strong political comeback in the 2006 elections, by getting 62.8% of the votes and getting elected as the 5th Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[4]

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in the Hague acquitted Serbia of the charges of complicity in genocide brought against the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" by the Bosnian government.[5] Silajdžić expressed disappointment at the court's ruling, but welcomed the fact that the court "ruled that Serbia and Montenegro had violated the Genocide Convention by not preventing or punishing the perpetrators of the genocide."[6]

Silajdžić was a member of the Bosnian delegation which negotiated the US-brokered Dayton Agreement. He continued stressing that the document was essential in ending the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but later saw it as an obstacle in reunifying the country. Making strong steps and claims in 2006 and 2007 towards canceling certain parts of the Dayton Agreement, Silajdžić directly opposed the constitution of the country, thus being a very controversial political figure, famous on the Bosniak and infamous on the Serbian side. His main goals were abolishing the existence of the Republika Srpska, breaking certain relations with Serbia and reforming the country towards unity.

During his four-year term as Presidency member, Silajdžić was backed by authorities and organizations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina that voiced dissatisfaction with the Dayton Agreement provisions and opposed the autonomy of the Republika Srpska entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina.[7][8]

2010 elections

In the 2010 elections, Silajdžić decided to run for a second term in the Presidency, but failed to do so when election day came, getting only 25.10% of the votes, 5% less than Fahrudin Radončić and 9% less than elected Bakir Izetbegović, the son of Alija Izetbegović.

Personal life

Silajdžić has been married to former Bosnian pop singer Selma Muhedinović since 2016,[9] after he had reportedly been in a relationship with her for over fifteen years. Silajdžić said that their mutual tendency towards art, his being poetry and hers being music, was what initially sparked their attraction. They live in Sarajevo.

Health

On 27 May 2020, Silajdžić underwent a successful open heart surgery in Sarajevo after he decided to have surgery due to the worsening situation with his blood vessels in his heart.[10]

Awards and honours

In 1995, Silajdžić was conferred the Croatian Order of Duke Trpimir.[11]

In 2005, he received a Doctorate in International Relations honoris causa by the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations.[12] In 2018, Silajdžić was conferred Sitara-e-Pakistan for his services to Pakistan by the 12th President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain.[13][14]

Orders

References

Notes
  1. "Search - Global Edition". International Herald Tribune. 29 March 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  2. "CBC News Indepth: Balkans". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. Šedo 2013, p. 88.
  4. "CIK: Silajdžić, Komšić i Radmanović članovi Predsjedništva BiH" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. 2 October 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  5. Court clears Serbia of genocide, bbc.co.uk; accessed 11 March 2016.
  6. "Bosnia genocide ruling splits regional media". BBC News. 28 February 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  7. Profile, rferl.org; accessed 11 March 2016.
  8. Gienger, Viola (14 February 2009). "Bosnian Wartime Leader Calls for Revival of U.S. Role by Obama". Bloomberg. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  9. "Da li su Haris Silajdžić i Selma Muhedinović stali na ludi kamen?". Radio Sarajevo. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  10. A.D. (27 May 2020). "Harisu Silajdžiću uspješno operisano srce u Sarajevu" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  11. 46 07.07.1995 Odluka kojom se odlikuju Redom kneza Trpimira s ogrlicom i Danicom
  12. "Honorary Degree Recipients". Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations.
  13. "President Mamnoon confers civil awards on Yaum-i-Pakistan". Dawn.
  14. "Haris Silajdžić odlikovan jednim od najvažnijih priznanja Pakistana". Radio Sarajevo (in Bosnian). Retrieved 19 November 2018.
Books
  • Šedo, Jakub (2013). "The party system of Bosnia and Herzegovina". In Stojarová, Vera; Emerson, Peter (eds.). Party Politics in the Western Balkans. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781135235857.
Political offices
Preceded by
Mile Akmadžić
Prime Minister of the Republic Bosnia and Herzegovina
1993–1996
Succeeded by
Hasan Muratović
Preceded by
Office established
Co-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
1997–2000
Served alongside: Boro Bosić: 1997–1999
Svetozar Mihajlović: 1999–2000
Succeeded by
Office abolished
Preceded by
Sulejman Tihić
Bosniak Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
2006–2010
Succeeded by
Bakir Izetbegović
Preceded by
Željko Komšić
Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
2008
Succeeded by
Nebojša Radmanović
Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
2010
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