The dismissal of Security Minister Dragan Mektic that was requested by his political enemies ahead of elections is unlikely, Parliamentarian Damir Becirovic told N1, referring to the initiative from a Bosnian Serb party on Thursday.

An MP in the House of Representatives and member of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Stasa Kosarac, explained the initiative with Mektic’s failure to properly handle the migrant crisis which has hit Bosnia drastically since the beginning of 2018.

But that is not what other lawmakers think is behind the initiative.

“We are already deep within the pre-election period,” Becirovic said, explaining that the quarrels that are taking place in the parliaments and assemblies at various government levels are a reflection of this period.

Minister Mektic is a member of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), which it within a coalition called ‘Alliance for Changes’. The Alliance is representing Bosnian Serbs in State Government institutions.

But Bosnia is comprised of two semi-autonomous entities, and in Republika Srpska (RS), the Serb-dominated one, the party in power is the SNSD.

The Alliance and the SNSD have, for years, been in fierce opposition.

“The request for Mektic’s dismissal stems from this conflict mainly because of everything that is happening in Republika Srpska between the SNSD and the SDS. Chances are slim that there will be a dismissal,” Becirovic said, adding that he is “convinced that Minister Mektic is doing his job well,” especially in regard to the migrant issue.

“He is doing everything possible. We have many other problems which other competent bodies should be solving in regard to migrants,” he said.

Parliament is to discuss the dismissal initiative on September 4.

“We also have problems with neighbouring countries,” he said, accusing authorities in neighbouring Serbia of transporting the migrants to their border with Bosnia.

“They are passing through in an organised manner. Data shows that 80 percent of all migrants enter into Bosnia from Serbia. The rest enter from Montenegro,” he said.

The lawmaker said migrants are told to “throw away all documents” they have so that there is no possibility to return them to the country they are crossing the border from.

“There is then no proof that they come in from Serbia or Montenegro,” he said.

Meanwhile, the EU is trying to establish immigration centres in countries that are not its members, Becirovic pointed out.

“It is easier for them to pay for this than to let these people enter their countries. It is obvious that our only option is to organise transport and relocation of the migrants from Bosnia into countries of the EU,” he said.