Bosnians May Shift Focus to Regional Governments

20 Oct 2010 / 10:17

The final results of Bosnia's October 3 general elections may pave the way for the formation of regional level governments before the central government, in a significant break with the past.
Sabina Arslanagic
The prospects of quickly forming a central government between parties from the country’s two political entities - the predominantly Serb Republika Srpska and the Croat-Bosniak federation – appear very slim.
However, some analysts and officials believe that multi-ethnic Social Democratic Party, SDP, which won in a landslide in the Croat-Bosniak federation, may change the situation by shifting focus towards the entity and away from the central government.

“If they choose this option, [Bosnian Serb leader] Milorad Dodik will be left looking like a clown who fights against an imaginary enemy,” an international official, who asked not to be named, told Balkan Insight.

In the federation, most votes went to the multi-ethnic SDP, followed closely by the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, SDA, which is widely perceived as open to compromise.
The two parties hinted in several post-election statements they are considering forming a coalition.

If the SDP and the SDA focus first on the formation of a government at the entity-level, this would represent a significant break with the past.

Following previous elections, Bosniak and Croat political parties in the federation have waited for state-level coalitions to be formed before setting up entity-level governments.

“Maybe it would be good if this time they establish power at the entity level first as most institutions which care about peoples’ real needs exist at that level of authority,” said Srecko Latal, a Sarajevo- based analyst with the international think tank the International Crisis Group, ICG.

In an interview for the public television in the federation a day after the election, SDP leader Zlatko Lagumdzija hinted his party might indeed be shifting its focus to the entity-level.

He said the SDP will concentrate on the Federation even if formation of state level government proves impossible.

“Why not turn the federation into West Germany and let Republika Srpska be East Germany if that is what they want,” Lagumdzija said.

Media in the federation reacted strongly to this statement, accusing Lagumdzija of “giving up on the state”, but some seem to agree with the idea.

“Why would that be wrong; why waste time on the spitting contest with Dodik at the level of the state?” Azra Jaganjac, a 62-year-old economist, told Balkan Insight.

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http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/final-election-results-announced-in-bosnia-now-what