Republika Srpska: Savo Minić Accepts Presidency, Plans Government by 15 Dec
The SNSD prime minister signed his mandate at Bosnia's election commission and handed his powers to a minister. Coalition talks start now.
Savo Minić, the prime minister of Republika Srpska (RS), signed a statement accepting the mandate of RS president at Bosnia and Herzegovina's Central Election Commission (CIK) in Sarajevo on Monday, 9 November, Beta and Danas reported. Minić, of Milorad Dodik's SNSD, won the presidency of the Serb-majority entity in the 4 October general elections.
Why he signed in Sarajevo
Minić said he accepted the mandate at the CIK to avoid any legal disputes and remove ambiguity. He criticised recent amendments to Bosnia's election law, which he called imposed, arguing that they leave the commission to interpret rules that should be the job of the state parliament. He described his victory as beyond doubt.
He said he had issued an act transferring all of the prime minister's powers to Agriculture Minister Anđelka Kuzmić, and that by signing he had in effect taken over the presidency. He is to take the oath at the constitutive session of the newly elected RS National Assembly, after which outgoing president Siniša Karan will hand him the constitution at the presidential palace in Banja Luka.
Government talks and state-level posts
Minić said talks on a new RS government begin immediately: he will invite party representatives to discuss who should receive the mandate to form it, and expects a cabinet no later than 15 December. According to results certified by the CIK, the SNSD won 34 of the 83 seats in the RS assembly, so it will need partners. In the same elections Željka Cvijanović of the SNSD was elected the Serb member of Bosnia's three-member presidency.
Asked about remarks by Bosnian Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković that the Serb side could take the state foreign ministry and the post of ambassador to the UN, Minić declined to confirm any distribution of posts. He said the Serb side had a demand it expected to be respected and called it political reality. He named cooperation with European and other international partners as one of his priorities.
Why it matters for Serbia
Belgrade is Republika Srpska's closest partner, and the change at the top in Banja Luka coincides with a change of government in Serbia after the Student List's election win. How the two new administrations handle their relationship will be watched in Sarajevo and Brussels.
Sources
This report is written by The Serbian Review from the sources listed above; facts are attributed where they could not be independently verified. Spotted an error? See our Corrections Policy.
