VIŠKOVIĆ: I EXPECT THE NEW GOVERNMENT TO BE ELECTED IN THE FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 18 /SRNA/ - The outgoing Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Radovan Višković said this evening that he expects the new Government to be elected in the first week of September.

Višković stated that discussions had been ongoing for several weeks about forming a Government of national unity, and that he did not want to stand in the way of bringing together all political entities from Republika Srpska. "We are facing turbulent times and we must all stand together. That is why this is my contribution to a broader consensus of political parties from Republika Srpska," Višković said. He added that he regretted the fact that the media law, which he had strongly advocated for and which is ready for the National Assembly, was not adopted. He appealed to the future prime minister and the relevant minister to put this law into parliamentary procedure, emphasizing that the media landscape in Republika Srpska must be regulated—not for the sake of politics, politicians, or individuals, but for the sake of media and journalists. Speaking about today's decision of the Appellate Division of the BiH Court to reject the appeal of the defense of the President of Republika Srpska regarding the CEC decision to revoke his mandate, Višković said it was incomprehensible that the legal profession did not have a unified stance on the matter, stressing that Christian Schmidt's actions confirm that BiH is a protectorate. "Why waste money on elections and elect deputies at various levels if laws will be imposed by an illegal foreigner? We have reached a situation that legal science does not recognize anywhere in the world, and this is beyond a protectorate, because even in a protectorate you have certain norms and rules, while here you don't even have that," Višković told RTRS. He noted that today the BiH Competition Council decided that the financial guarantee issued by the Government of Republika Srpska for the "Bistrica One, Two and Three" project is not state aid, meaning the project can continue at full capacity, and that this hydropower plant could be on the grid in 2026. "The Dabar hydropower plant is also under construction, and it remains for us to speed up procedures regarding motorways and to move into a more serious dynamic on the Banjaluka-Prijedor motorway. This week we will sign an agreement with our Chinese partner for the financing and construction of the Bijeljina–Brčko motorway," announced Višković, who will become director of the Republika Srpska Motorways company after stepping down as prime minister.