Consultations on the composition of the new Government of Republika Srpska, for which the Prime Minister-designate was appointed by Milorad Dodik, who was stripped of his mandate as President of the RS by the Central Election Commission, are beginning today. Savo Minić will talk to the political parties of the ruling coalition about the new ministers in the Government, and he already announced yesterday that some of the ministers from the previous convocation will remain.
There is a lot of speculation about the names of the new ministers. Among them is Goran Selak, who leads the Socialist Party of Srpska, which is part of the parliamentary majority, but has not yet participated in the executive branch. He was previously unsuccessfully nominated for Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Before consultations with the Prime Minister-designate, whose appointment he supports, he did not want to reveal the position he would like or is intended for him.
“We, as people who are loyal and devoted to the RS, will also make our SPS cadres available to be part of the future Government of the RS,” said Selak.
Prime Minister-designate Minić announced yesterday that certain ministers involved in major projects, important for the results of the Government, will remain in their positions. In addition to the SPS, there is speculation that one seat could go to DNS, the party of Nenad Nešić, which has joined forces with Darko Banjac’s NPS. The change in the position of Minister of Education and Culture was announced by Dodik himself.
“I immediately expect the new Minister of Education to solve the problems of extended stay of children from the first to the third grade and thus eliminate the justified requests of parents that we are seeing these days,” said Dodik.
Nebojša Vukanović from the Justice and Order List believes that by appointing the prime minister-designate, Milorad Dodik has opened the possibility of challenging the legitimacy of the executive branch, given that his mandate has been taken away, so the ministerial composition is in the background.
“If the adders change places, the sum remains the same. It will be a government of continuity, a government of failure, and the shorter it lasts and the sooner this regime collapses, the sooner dawn will break for RS and all its citizens,” says Vukanović.
Dodik is facing criticism that the tasks he entrusted to Minic and announced at his presentation are on the verge of being realistic. A large number of legal experts have been warning for days about the unconstitutionality of any action by Milorad Dodik after his mandate was revoked due to the ruling of the Court of BiH, which is also the case with the election of the Government.
“Since such a Government cannot be appointed or elected, the decisions it would eventually make could not have any legal force and would be illegal and would have to be overturned in some way,” points out Damjan Ožegović, legal associate at Transparency International.
Analysts interpret Milorad Dodik’s motives for dismissing Radovan Višković and appointing Minic as a warning to his own membership that they share the fate of their political father and a message to coalition partners.
“To somehow motivate the coalition partners, the smaller ones, so that in this chaotic situation they do not turn their backs and try to join some other potential government. To give them a share of the coalition government, which would satisfy their political appetites,” believes political analyst Tanja Topić.
The election of the Government in parliament could take place in early September and it will be the Government with the shortest mandate so far, considering that the General Elections are planned for October next year.
