The Deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and candidate for the BiH Presidency, Vojin Mijatovic, told N1 that over 500,000 Bosnians who escaped as refugees from the country’s Republika Srpska entity are living abroad, a fraction of whom voted during the 2018 election.

“500,000 Bosnians and Herzegovinans with an address in the RS entity are abroad. In the last elections of 2018, 8,500 of our citizens voted for pro-Bosnian politicians in the RS. In the last election we had 45,000 applicants from Serbia and Croatia, this year we have around 4,500”.

Speaking about the upcoming October general election Mijatovic responded to former SDP leader Zlatko Lagumdzija’s claims that he is Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) Milorad Dodik’s man by saying that one day he is Dodik’s man, the other Bakir Izetbegovic’s (the leader of the Democratic Action Party) and so on.

“Lagumdzija is a man who was expelled from his own party. Lagumdzija is synonymous with corruption and crime in this country. He had better give an explanation for the money and mansions he owns. He is the gravedigger of social democracy and will never again be a decisive factor in BiH,” Mijatovic said adding:

“Of course, I am not Dodik's candidate. On Mondays, I'm Bakir’s, on Tuesdays Dodik’s, on Wednesdays BIA’s (Serbia Intelligence Agency), and on Thursdays I'm American. I wish all these mediocrities would agree with who I am. I am the son of Branislava and Dobrivoj from Banja Luka and I am a candidate for the citizens who live in that part of the country and love their country. Neither Lagumdzija nor anyone else will prevent me or others from voting or being elected.”

“We’ll see on October 2 (election day), many will be surprised. I will win convincingly in the diaspora and I am proud of that. We spent a year and a half in the campaign. Bosnians and Herzegovinans are honest people and they have had enough of scammers,” Mijativic said Wednesday night.

He added that it is important for the Presidency to have a “3:0 for BiH” ratio. (For three candidates to be pro-Bosnian candidates, unlike today where Milorad Dodik, a Serb Presidency member, is threatening secession and the previous Croat member candidate Dragan Covic supporting the idea of Herzeg-Bosna, the third entity in BiH which would have a high degree of autonomy from the state)

“For me, the most important thing is that Vojin Mijatovic enters the Presidency. Three-Zero for BiH in the Presidency is important. Anyone who doesn't understand that – doesn't wish BiH well. We have surveys every two days and we will see how we stand on the second of October, that will be the best survey,” the SDP Deputy leader said.

Commenting on SDP leader Nermin Niksic’s claims that the SDP will no longer be the opposition after the election, Mijatovic said the party will be “the winner of these elections and that is a reflection of the fact that we know what the situation is on the ground. It is up to us to win and make the best possible result. The moment the citizens give us their trust and when we win, then we determine where this country is going and with whom we will form a coalition.”