Bosnian Presidency member Sefik Dzaferovic is trying to disclaim his own and the responsibility of his political party for the consequences of the pandemic, the social-liberal Our Party said on Tuesday in response to Dzaferovic who said Bosnia and Herzegovina is not lagging behind other countries in the region in vaccination, with the exception of Serbia.

Speaking to public broadcaster RTV FBiH on Monday, the Bosniak member of the tripartite presidency and member of the main Bosniak SDA party said the process of immunisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina already started, referring to the small amount of vaccines the country received as donations from Serbia and some other countries.

He said he hoped the Government of the Federation (FBiH) entity will soon start purchasing vaccines, adding that the Government of Republika Srpska (RS) entity already made a purchase and that mass immunisation in the whole country will start in the near future.

But, this statement sparked strong reactions including those of the Our Party and leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Nermin Niksic.

“It is disappointing that the member of the BiH Presidency is lying that we are not lagging behind other countries in the region in vaccination. But, it is unforgivable he is underestimating the citizens because such a lie can be uttered only by someone who thinks that he is addressing totally uninformed, ignorant and unacquainted people. The information does reach the people. We are not North Korea and will never be no matter what Dzaferovic and his party do to make us the largest world's quarantine, the Our Party said.

They added that a significant number of Bosnian nationals got the vaccine in other countries rather than being vaccinated in their own country.

“That's a disgrace that Dzaferovic as the Presidency member and the member of the party that has been in power for 30 years is trying to escape.”

SDP leader Niksic joined the criticism, noting that Dzaferovic seemed like a “rarely rational politician from the ruling coalition,” but that he now proved is not any differed from his “party boss (Bakir) Izetbegovic or (FBiH entity) prime minister (Fadil) Novalic.”

Niksic said Bosnia is not only lagging behind the region but Africa as well.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was among the first countries to apply for the Covid-19 vaccines through the Covax system, but the first doses have not been delivered yet. While Republika Srpska, one of two Bosnia's semi-autonomous regions, has already started the direct purchase of vaccines and has so far received two deliveries of Sputnik V doses, the authorities in the Federation are still dealing with the procedures of selecting and approving the companies who would make the purchase for this part of the country.