SDP leader Nermin Niksic, after the meeting and statements he gave to journalists three days ago, later said that it is not a likely option that he will form a government with SDA and that a solution is not possible without the intervention of a high representative.
First, he clarified how the coalition from the Bosniak corps at the federal level currently looks. He said that the Eight definitely no longer exists. Although some say that they will act as the Seven, Niksic says that the coalition has split into two blocs.
A coalition with the SDA is not realistic, and neither is a solution for the government without the help of Schmidt
Niksic reiterated that Christian Schmidt wanted to unblock the processes of government formation in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) with his decision on election night, but that he did not count on the possibility that one (SDP) would have a majority in the Parliament, and the other (SDA) in the People’s Caucus, and that would hinder the processes.
”We can choose the leadership of the Federation. If we choose, Vice President Lendo can sign to appoint a Government, which is unlikely, or he can say that he will not sign. We have open announcements from the SDA that he will not. And then we have a blockade, and the only mechanism for unblocking is in the hands of the Office of the High Representative (OHR). We also have another scenario – that we do not elect the leadership of the Federation, and then we have everything we have now,”he said.
When asked which scenario they are closest to, he answers that they do not want to be the ones who block the election of the president and vice president, even though some of them do not have the support of the parliamentary majority, alluding to Refik Lendo. However, if he is elected, he says that he will continue to choose the candidate and the FBiH Government indefinitely.
”Of course, it would be much easier for Schmidt as well if we could come to an agreement or if the president and vice-president of the Federation, after demonstrating the majority, would assign that mandate. But we have very clear announcements that this will not be the case. I expect that any solution will have to come with the intervention of Christian Schmidt,” Niksic concluded.
In the previous days, due to the disagreements in the Eight, there was a lot of talk about the fact that some might start negotiating with the SDA. Niksic says that he has not spoken to Bakir Izetbegovic and that it probably won’t happen.
”I won’t talk to him at this time, it wouldn’t be right. If this story doesn’t work out, I’ll talk to everyone about what’s going on. I’ve talked so far and it’s not a likely option that we make a story with them because it would mean that he and I have to go over some things,” Niksic stated, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.