A new Croat political party was established in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Prozor-Rama municipality on Saturday by mayor Jozo Ivancevic, who announced a stronger alternative to the HDZ BiH party, currently the strongest Bosnian Croat party.

The Rama People's Party (RNS) was established due to dissatisfaction with the activity of other Croatian political parties, notably those making up the HDZ BiH-led Croatian People's Assembly (HNS), Ivancevic said at the founding assembly.

He and his associates left the HDZ 1990 party last year, accusing its leaders of allowing the HDZ BiH to dominate the HNS. Ivancevic said their policy put personal interest before the interest “of the whole people they allegedly represent.”

Exploiting arguments such as those that the Croatian people in BiH is jeopardised and that a third entity needs to be established only serves to mobilise voters before elections, after which nothing is done to solve problems, only to divide positions in government, he added.

Croats in Prozor-Rama are dissatisfied with the HNS parties’ treatment of the municipality, including its exclusion from strategic infrastructure, physical, health and education plans, Ivancevic said.

He announced cooperation with everyone with similar political platforms in order to strengthen the opposition to the policy waged by the HDZ BiH.

The RNS will first and foremost work on the development of Rama and the status of its Croats, but stands ready to take part in higher levels of government so that Croats in BiH finally have an opposition that will credibly advocate their interests, he added.

According to the 2013 census, Prozor-Rama had a little over 14,000 inhabitants, of whom 10,000 were Croats.