The opposition in Republika Srpska is expected to hold a new round of talks next week in an effort to reach an agreement on joint candidates for the president of the entity and the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina ahead of the upcoming elections.
However, key opposition figures remain firm in their ambitions. SDS leader Branko Blanuša and Safe Srpska Movement (PSS) president Draško Stanivuković continue to insist on their candidacies for the presidency of Republika Srpska, while Nebojša Vukanović has already submitted his candidacy for the BiH Presidency independently.
Speaking to BHT1, Blanuša said the decision of the SDS Main Board remains unchanged.
“The decision of the SDS Main Board will not be changed. This means that I am a candidate for the president of Republika Srpska, regardless of whether Draško Stanivuković is also a candidate for the same position,” Blanuša said.
Despite his candidacy, the SDS leader expressed hope that opposition parties would continue discussions and eventually reach a compromise.
“I hope that we will have the opportunity to talk with other opposition parties. Of course, PSS has the right to make its own decisions. We will see whether Mr. Stanivuković remains a candidate in the coming period. Honestly, I hope such a scenario will not happen,” he added.
Stanivuković, meanwhile, called for a return to negotiations and stressed the importance of unity within the opposition.
“I invite all of us to return to the negotiating table and talk. Everyone must make a compromise, but it should be a winning compromise. Even a party with five thousand votes is better inside the coalition than outside of it,” Stanivuković said.
The renewed talks could also include PDP RS leader Igor Crnadak, who recently proposed Blanuša as the opposition candidate for president of Republika Srpska and Vukanović for the BiH Presidency.
Vukanović had previously left negotiations after independently announcing his candidacy for the state presidency. Nevertheless, Crnadak maintains that opposition unity remains the key objective.
“I still believe the best solution is a 10-point agreement. It would ensure that everyone is included, protected, and has a place in a future government after the elections. No one should be excluded, and everyone should have enough space to contribute,” Crnadak said.
Political analyst and editor of Buka magazine Aleksandar Trifunović warned that the opposition has already lost valuable time by focusing on internal positioning rather than its primary objective of challenging the ruling coalition.
“At the moment, the focus seems to be on strengthening party positions and the positions of individual leaders. We have already seen candidacies announced without prior agreements. The worst possible outcome would be for everyone to run with their own candidate because, at this point, I do not see much room for an agreement,” Trifunović said.
In addition to election preparations, the opposition could find common ground in opposing the Republika Srpska Government’s proposal to increase the entity’s borrowing framework to nearly 2.5 billion BAM.
Meanwhile, the ruling SNSD has already begun positioning itself for the election campaign. According to party officials, the leading candidate of the governing coalition for the presidency of Republika Srpska is current Prime Minister Savo Minić.
With opposition leaders preparing to return to the negotiating table, the coming weeks are expected to be crucial in determining whether a unified front can be formed against the ruling coalition in Republika Srpska.
