The US Democratic Party will traditionally start the process of selecting its nominee for the general election in Iowa, the state that is today home to the large community of Bosnians, who could play an important role in the selection of the candidate.

“There are some twenty thousands of people who came to Iowa from Bosnia and Herzegovina. We can say they make a crucial demographic group in the Democratic Party primaries. So, the one who wins support in Iowa will get a chance to get wind in their sails in the states that follow. The reason why the Bosnian community is so interesting is its demographic power, plus the differences between four main candidates are minimal,” Reuf Bajrovic, co-chairman of the US-EU Alliance told N1.

According to him, the candidate who wins the support of the majority of Bosnians might be the one who wins this race.

It is almost certain, Bajrovic said, that the population originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina will back Joseph Biden rather than Bernie Sanders and, according to him, this would be a better choice.

 “I believe there is no need to explain it to people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, given his political past and everything he had been doing during and after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sanders generally has different views of the world. However, one should be fair and say that young people often take Sanders into consideration because his talks are much more attractive for them. He is mostly in the lead among the population aged up to 30,” said Bajrovic.

Surveys show that Sanders might win the election in New Hampshire but that he will try to make good results in Iowa as well, according to Bajrovic.

“This is the first time that Bosnian community is directly involved in the primaries and this is why we have three polling stations in Des Moines and two in Waterloo, which are the places with a significant population originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he explained.

Bajrovic believes that Biden and Sanders will be in a tight race but Biden could have a good start if everything does well for him in Iowa. The states that follow are those with high percentages of the Afro-American population which, according to surveys, support Biden, said Bajrovic adding that this might secure him a lead that other candidates might not catch up with.

“I think the only one who will continue the battle regardless of everything will be Michael Bloomberg, former New York mayor, who can continue the campaign for long using his own resources,” he said.

Bosnian community in the USA counts up to 200,000 people and will play an important role both in the primaries and final presidential election as they can make a difference in the places where candidates are in a tight race, according to Bajrovic. It is believed that the candidates will pay particular attention to the State of Missouri, especially Saint Louis, with large Bosnian community, he added.