Bosnia's powerful peace envoy quits, with questions over role's future

The most powerful figure in Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed that he is stepping down. Christian Schmidt has served as international high representative since 2021, the second-longest tenure of any high representative. His time in the post was filled with conflict and controversy.His office said that Schmidt "has taken the personal decision to conclude his service to the implementation of peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina".His appointment was never approved by Russia and now it seems he has also lost the support of the US, making his position untenable. A broader conundrum is whether the Office of the High Representative itself has a future and, if not, where that would leave Bosnia.The role dates back to the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the country's ruinous ethnic conflict. The UN-appointed high representative is supposed to ensure that the agreement is followed and has wide-ranging powers to keep the country's ever-fractious ethno-political leaders in line.During his stint as high representative, Paddy Ashdown memorably wielded these so-called "Bonn Powers" sacking 60 Bosnian-Serb officials in one day in 2004 for refusing to cooperate with the Hague Tribunal. Ashdown duly received the not entirely flattering nickname of "Viceroy of Bosnia".