Nenad Stevandic, leader of United Srpska party and speaker of the National Assembly of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity, spoke to N1 about political relations and the electoral process.

Stevandic explained what announcing local elections by the Central Election Commission means for the RS Government and the proposed adoption of RS election law.

“We have communication, and we cannot ignore the issue. It would be expected that Schmidt suspends our law and that it does not fall under the vital national interest launched by the Bosniaks. They decided for tactical reasons that Schmidt plays the coward while the Bosniaks initiate the vital national interest to delay the timing of the law's implementation. There are also issues for parties participating in the elections in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), which would be impossible without registration. Brcko District is also a concern because it has a significant number of people who are usually part of the government. We will find a pragmatic solution, but who wins in the local elections depends not on the election law but on public support,” Stevandic stated, adding:

“What's very important is that the RS Election Law has been passed. When we will apply it, I hope this year, and if not, then some other year. It's part of an integrity package based on the Constitution.”

When asked does participating in the elections mean “legitimizing” Schmidt, Stevandic replied:

“That is a problem, but this is about self-governance, mayors, and it's not a national issue in the state sense. However, it's a significant ‘bullet’ that we are trying to avoid. If we can't avoid it, we will bite it. If we had started this earlier, maybe we would have succeeded because, as you saw, the Croats delayed due to the Croatian Presidency member, while the Bosniaks relied on Schmidt, and now they are imposing some deadlines. In any case, it won't change the election outlook in Republika Srpska; those who have public support will win. How we proceed, whether we bite the bullet or not, we will decide within Republika Srpska.”

Stevandic noted that the RS election law has not yet come into effect but has passed through the process.

“And once it is in effect, elections will be conducted accordingly. I hope that will happen this year”, he said.