SDP President Nermin Nikšić said SDP will not block the formation of the new Government of the Federation of BiH through the House of Peoples, but it will set conditions if someone wants to form the new government without it.
Appearing on FTV, he said SDP will once again have a majority in the Serb Caucus of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH and that forming a new government without them will be impossible.
“We were an unavoidable factor in 2010, 2014, and 2018, and we will be now. We will have our representatives in the Serb Caucus in the federal House of Peoples. I can’t say if we will have 7, 8, or 10 representatives. It should be 8 or 9. We have some independent representatives whom SDA and DF have already contacted and offered money,” he said.
He recalled that in 2014, SDP unconditionally supported the formation of the new Federation Government, which at the time consisted of SDA, DF, and HDZ, although it could have blocked the appointment back then. As he said, SDP wanted to do the same thing in 2018.
“I guess you cannot always expect us to be the ones spreading our arms and giving things away, while being called traitors. If someone wants our support, and we are not part of the story, they will have to sit down with us, look us in the eyes, and tell us what it is that we betrayed. It means that we first need to sit down, and then they need to tell us: sorry, traitors, we need your support to form the government. Then, they need to tell us what that government will do. It doesn’t cross my mind to support them in rolling back everything that has been done regarding the minimum wage, pensions, non-working Sundays… Therefore, let’s hear what they will do,” he said.
When asked if there is a schism within SDP, he replied: “There is none.”
“We are no autocratic party where no one can say anything. Each one of us is free to say what we think,” he said.
He also touched upon the Americans’ view on forming the new government in BiH.
“I had a conversation with the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in BiH; he was very clear. He said that they don’t want to participate in the process of choosing the government in any way. I understand them completely and support it. It is important that what we have been doing so far continues very fast, regardless of who makes up the government,” he said.
Regarding the state government, he said it is clear that we have been in a deadlock for two years already.
“When the National Assembly of Republika Srpska made some decisions, we already said back then that SNSD is no longer our partners. Later, neither could we form a government without them, nor could they without us. Unfortunately, people at the elections here opt for those who are more radical and insult others…This is why SNSD achieved a great election result. Can a government be formed without them? Maybe through the House of Representatives, but through the House of Peoples… I think they will be an unavoidable factor. How to solve this with that man (Dodik, editor’s note)? I don’t know; we’ll see if there will be some partners who will make a deal with him,” he said.
He believes that a state government in this format should not stay in a technical mandate.
“What we have right now is not working. A new majority must be formed. I don’t think keeping things as they are is a solution. I think this doesn’t work for SNSD either. They also have to think a little about the stances of the EU and our international community,” he said.
