Who will be in the Assembly of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is already mostly known, but who will form the majority is still based on speculation. HDZ BiH remains convincingly the strongest political force in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, and according to the current projection with the SDA, it has a sufficient number of deputies in the Assembly to confirm the new Government. There is also a calculable possibility of a majority without the SDA, but such a combination would require the agreement of at least four political parties and the support of all their deputies upon confirmation of the Government.
A two-thirds majority, i.e. 20 out of 30 members of parliament, is required to appoint the Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva County. HDZ BiH, in coalition with HKDU, HDU and HRAST, has the largest number of mandates won, 13, and SDA, which has eight, could form the government in the canton if they reach a political agreement. The HDZ say that they should wait for party negotiations, but they state that the result itself indicates who will make up the parliamentary majority.
DAMIR DŽEBA, HDZ BiH
“I think the result is more than clear, on the basis of which the future parliamentary majority can be formed. What the party presidency and the county committee in our county will say about will be the final result and the result of who will make up the new parliamentary council, from which the new HNŽ Government will of course be proposed.”, says Damir Dzeba from HDZ.
The SDA did not want to make statements regarding the formation of the government in HNŽ, until, they say, the party’s leadership has made a statement. The SDP, which won three seats in the Assembly, also declined to appear on camera. They state that they have not received invitations for negotiations and that it is too early to discuss the matter. HRS, holding two seats, believes it is best to wait for the final election results, though they do not harbor high expectations regarding joining the government.
“The fact is that HDZ and SDA – the current ruling majority – have enough seats to form the government; no one has called us yet. Generally, it is those with more seats who initiate contact; if we do receive an invitation, we will respond and hold talks.”, says Slavko Zovko from HRS.
Although HDZ and SDA hold enough seats for a stable majority, HDZ could also form the government without SDA – albeit by involving multiple other partners – which gives HDZ a pivotal role in the negotiations. While it is most likely that HDZ and SDA will form the government, political agreements reached at higher levels will ultimately influence who ends up forming the government in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.
