KOŠARAC: DODIK DECIDES ON FORMATION OF COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 15 /SRNA/ – BiH Institutions cannot be formed without a political agreement with the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats /SNSD/, and party leader Milorad Dodik will decide when and how the Council of Ministers is to be formed, SNSD Presidency member Staša Košarac said.

Noting that the election results in Republika Srpska had confirmed the political strength of Dodik and the SNSD, as voters in the entity had endorsed their policies, Košarac stressed that attempts to form a government at the BiH level without the SNSD could not ensure the stable functioning of the joint institutions.

Košarac said that Elmedin Konaković, leader of the People and Justice party, was trying to challenge the electoral will of the citizens of Republika Srpska, which he described as unacceptable.

According to Košarac, Konaković was one of the architects of efforts to delegitimize the electoral will of the Serb people in BiH and was clinging to the idea that he could form a government at the state level with political parties that had lost in Republika Srpska.

"What kind of government would that be? How would it function?" Košarac asked.

Acknowledging that political parties had differing positions, Košarac stressed that challenging the electoral will of the Serb people was unacceptable.

"We have different political interests and goals, but we have never challenged the electoral will of the Bosniak and Croat peoples. We have never worked to delegitimize their electoral will," he said.

Košarac said that Konaković and other politicians were pursuing policies contrary to the interests of Republika Srpska, which remained committed to defending its constitutional powers and reaching agreements within BiH.

He said he was not sure whether Konaković was even worth commenting on after the debacle he had suffered in the elections.

"To put it colloquially, he has completely fallen apart after this electoral debacle in the Federation of BiH," Košarac added.

He noted that contacts and talks with political partners were already underway, particularly highlighting the SNSD's partnership with the Croatian Democratic Union of BiH /HDZ BiH/ and its leader, Dragan Čović.

"You witnessed the talks with Čović, during which we defined our partnership despite our political differences on certain issues," Košarac said.

Asked when and how the Council of Ministers would be formed, Košarac replied that Dodik would make that decision.

"I have told you everything," he added.