The Serb Democratic Party, SDS, which came second in the elections in Republika Srpska last month, has offered cabinet positions to the Socialist Party, SP, in a bid to win its favours from the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD.
The SNSD came first in the polls. But both the SNSD and the SDS need the support of smaller parties to help them create a parliamentary majority and form a government in the entity.
The SP was the SNSD’s partner in the outgoing administration. But after the SNSD promised the premier’s position to the Democratic People’s Union, DNS, the SP is considering whether to pull out of the alliance.
“It is known with whom we have shared political values for years, but at this moment, the overall results and the expectations of citizens direct us to solutions which might be the best for the life of people towards whom we have a responsibility because they gave us votes in the elections,” said SP leader Petar Djokic.
Djokic met SDS president Mladen Bosic in Bijeljina on November 2 to discuss a possible coalition, Nezavisne Novine newspaper reported.
But SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said that he hoped Djokic would not take the offer as serious.
The SNSD, SP and DNS met on Friday in Zvornik. Djokic said afterwards that despite the SDS offer, the partnership with the SNSD was not over and that his party would consider both coalition offers.
The SNSD won 29 seats in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska at last month’s polls, while the SDS got 24 seats.
Its confirmed ally, the DNS, won eight, while the SP took five.
The SDS meanwhile has the backing of the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, which took seven seats, and the National Democratic Movement, NDP, which took five.
The Domovina [Homeland] coalition, which is comprised of non-Serb parties and won five seats in the assembly, has not yet declared which party it will support.
The SDS held power in Republika Srpska until 2006, when Dodik and the SNSD took over and governed for two terms.
