KOVAČEVIĆ: DODIK TARGETED BECAUSE HE SYMBOLIZES SRPSKA THEY CANNOT BREAK

BANJA LUKA, JULY 23 /SRNA/ - The SNSD remains the largest and strongest political party in Republika Srpska and BiH even after 20 years, because party president Milorad Dodik established a policy focused on workers’ welfare, social justice, and the defense of Republika Srpska in accordance with the rights guaranteed by the Dayton Agreement, said SNSD spokesman Radovan Kovačević.

Kovačević emphasized that both Dodik and the party's policies are also responsible for free education in Republika Srpska. He stated that the SNSD has been winning elections for 20 years, that it is today by far the largest political party, and that it is an honor to be part of that political family. “The SNSD is a party with more than 200,000 members. It is a large political family made up of honest people from Srpska — workers, farmers, and intellectuals. Being the spokesperson for such a party and standing alongside the president and the leadership of Srpska is a great honor,” said Kovačević, thanking all SNSD members and supporters for their support. He emphasized that public opinion polls confirm the SNSD is by far the strongest political party and that this will be reflected in the 2026 elections. "The fundamental difference between the SNSD and other political parties is that the SNSD doesn’t shape its policies just for election campaigns. Our policy is always the same. Our policy is Republika Srpska. It is a consistent policy, and people recognize that," Kovačević told RTRS. According to him, BiH is acceptable only as defined by the Dayton Agreement, with jurisdictions that belong to Republika Srpska and those that belong to BiH. "Anything that implies less Republika Srpska is unacceptable to us, and we will fight /against it/," said Kovačević, adding that Republika Srpska has responded to all challenges and problems and has remained economically stable. Kovačević, who is also a member of the Serb Caucus in the House of Peoples in the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, said that the policy of the parties from Sarajevo is aimed at having “as little Republika Srpska as possible.” "They have a problem when faced with a policy that advocates for more Republika Srpska, while for us, the only unacceptable thing is less Republika Srpska. You add to that a strong leader who has managed to overcome all challenges for 20 years, who endured attacks from Alija Izetbegović, Sulejman Tihić, Zlatko Lagumdžija, Haris Silajdžić, and Bakir Izetbegović, and sent them all into the past, and yet he is still here," said Kovačević. He stressed that the biggest issue is that such a policy from Sarajevo finds partners in Republika Srpska who are willing to assist them. "The philosophy of the opposition in Republika Srpska is to get to power first, and then see what to do next," Kovačević said. Commenting on the dismissals of SNSD personnel from joint institutions, Kovačević pointed out that this was the work of the opposition from Republika Srpska, in cooperation with all Bosniak parties. "When we talk about the House of Representatives, the SDA, the 'troika' parties, and all the smaller parties were involved — all of them, together with the opposition parties from Republika Srpska. In the House of Peoples, we have a total of five members of the Bosniak Caucus, including people from Republika Srpska. I even suggested they call their coalition 'Bosniak Power,'" Kovačević said. He stated that "betrayal" is too mild a word for what the opposition from Srpska is doing. Kovačević said he has invited opposition parties from Srpska to dialogue dozens of times, but they have never responded. He recalled that Draško Stanivuković of the PDP, despite the fact that Christian Schmidt was not legally appointed and despite the conclusions of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska declaring his decisions invalid, received Schmidt at the highest level as mayor of Banja Luka. "He removed the Republika Srpska flag from his office. He humiliated us by taking Schmidt to the Twelve Babies Memorial. They attend /PIC/ sessions only to throw mud at Republika Srpska," Kovačević said. He expressed confidence that Finance and Treasury Minister Srđan Amidžić will not sign off on the transfer of funds to the /Vijadukt/ company, in accordance with the National Assembly's decisions not to implement Schmidt's decrees. Kovačević said that /Vijadukt/ was a concession granted in 2004 during the term of today’s opposition to a company that was highly questionable. "It was a newly established company, with no experience in hydroelectric projects, no employees, and no bank account. They submitted a guarantee through another firm in Germany, which also failed to provide a valid bank guarantee. That so-called guarantee didn’t even allow for preparation of the intended intervention," Kovačević said. He noted that the arbitration process was officially conducted against BiH, and that a solution had been offered under which BiH would settle the debt from joint funds, after which an agreement would be signed with Republika Srpska for reimbursement. "Republika Srpska was willing to accept that solution. The Federation refused; their aim is to politicize even this matter. Schmidt imposed a decision to seize Srpska's funds, which were already in the account, and denied us access to them," Kovačević said. He concluded by stating that everyone is aware of what would follow should Schmidt impose a decision regarding state property. "If anyone is wondering, we’ve already announced what that means, and what it would lead to," Kovačević said. He emphasized that the issue of property was resolved by the Dayton Peace Agreement, which defined BiH as a country with no territorial ownership.