KARAN: VOTERS FACE A CLEAR CHOICE - PRESERVE SRPSKA OR SUPPORT ITS DISMANTLING

BELGRAD, NOVEMBER 17 /SRNA/ – The candidate of SNSD for the President of Republika Srpska Siniša Karan said that anyone voting against him is voting against the politics that protects Republika Srpska and for Christian Schmidt and the Bosniak political elite, which, he said, seeks a unitary BiH.

Karan warned that the presidential election is being turned as a contest between individual candidates, even though the real issue is the divide between political platforms – between a policy of continuity aimed at preserving Republika Srpska and one that seeks to dismantle it. "This is a clash between policies that consistently defend Republika Srpska and those who, in a kind of subservience, are ready to accept anything that is anti-Dayton, unconstitutional, and undermines the constitutional-legal capacity of Republika Srpska, and thereby the overall rights of the Serb people", Karan stated. He emphasized that the politics he represents depends on the people’s support to strengthen the fight against those who are attacking the constitutional order of Republika Srpska. "We already hold power; we are not fighting for power. This government was won three years ago. We have the National Assembly, whose members were elected by the people, and we have the Government. This is continuity. This is a fight for the status of Republika Srpska", Karan told Euronews. Karan noted that these are Schmidt’s imposed elections, intended to deliver a final political blow to those defending the constitutional-legal position of Republika Srpska. "That is why a vote for me is a vote to preserve the sovereignty of the Serb people within the federal, complex, multiethnic BiH structure – sovereignty that was introduced into the Dayton Peace Accords", Karan said. He added that the so-called civic, but in reality unitary BiH is primarily a vision of the Bosniak Sarajevo elite, which would mean the dominance of Bosniaks and the marginalization of the other two peoples, since in a unitary BiH the Serbs would not be an equal people. Karan argued that the opposition in Srpska is downplaying the issue in order to conceal the fact that, at their core, they support Schmidt’s policies. "They should be focused on protecting the Serb people. Schmidt does not protect the Serb people or Republika Srpska. They must rise above personal and political interests. These are national issues. That is why I am not dealing with them – we are dealing with Schmidt and with Republika Srpska", Karan said. He stressed that for the coalition gathered around SNSD, the choice is straightforward: either a strong, Dayton-verified Republika Srpska, or a unitary, civic BiH in which the Serb people would become a minority. Karan reminded that this is the final year of the current mandate. "We will have even greater strength to defend Republika Srpska. At the same time, we are building, working, and developing economically. Republika Srpska is now economically stable, with stable institutions", he stated. He pointed to attempts aimed at disrupting state authority in Srpska, which he described as the most essential element of any state. "We do not want the continuity of state authority in Republika Srpska to be broken, and it will function even more strongly", Karan emphasized.