Will SDP get a new president this year, or will Nikšić remain at the helm due to the wishes of loyal individuals, as well as other parties?

One of the unpopular topics in SDP BiH are internal elections and the election of a president, but it is increasingly likely that this year could untangle that knot. One way or another.

At this moment, no one knows when the SDP Congress will be scheduled, not even the member of the Main Board of SDP, Igor Stojanović. And there has been no president of the Main Board for years.

“At the last Congress, we postponed the election of the president for two years. We should already make a decision on when the president of SDP BiH will be elected. I don't know when that decision will happen. It is up to the Presidency to schedule the Congress,” Stojanović told Jutro za sve on BHRT.

When asked about the chances of extending the mandate of president Nermin Nikšić again, Stojanović said that there is a possibility that the Congress will make such a decision.

“I don't think it's good to extend the mandate twice and effectively violate the Statute. I think the Statute clearly stipulates that the president is entitled to two terms, and I think "fresh blood" is needed within SDP, not just for the presidential position, but for the entire leadership,” said Stojanović.

He emphasized that SDP should show what it is known for, which is being able to change its president without the president having “died or fallen ill.”

Although it has been rumored for a long time that Zukan Helez or Denis Bećirović could take over SDP BiH, Stojanović said he gives no one an advantage.

“I wouldn't give anyone an advantage nor would I calculate who the candidate is or will be. I think we should talk within SDP and remain consistent with democratization,” said Stojanović.

He did not rule out the possibility of being one of the candidates if a decision is made about the Congress and the election of the president.

At the Congress held in June 2023, Nikšić's mandate was extended, and some prominent SDP members did not attend that Congress, believing that the SDP Statute was being violated.

At this moment, when Nikšić also holds the position of Prime Minister of the Federation of BiH, and SDP is also in power at the state level, it seems that even his coalition partners would not welcome a change of negotiator. Especially not one as cooperative as Nikšić. That is why HDZ and Dragan Čović, who himself confirmed that he meets with Nikšić very often and discusses important issues, are interested in the processes within SDP.

In a year when Čović hopes for, and even announces, changes to the Election Law of BiH, losing Nikšić as a negotiation partner would be a step backward for him.

On the other hand, a part of the membership also blames Nikšić for handing over SDP to a few loyal individuals who manage all processes, both within and outside the party. This mostly applies to Vojin Mijatović, who immediately became the vice-president of SDP and then received a ministerial position in the Government of the Federation of BiH. It was Mijatović who was the most vocal advocate at the last Congress for extending Nikšić's mandate, and it is not excluded that such a scenario will happen again if the members of the Presidency and the Main Board do not finally rebel and demand the return of democracy to SDP.

However, Nikšić himself could stop all of this by proposing to finally schedule an electoral Congress and have someone else replace him at the head of the party. It's not as if only Nikšić can lead SDP.

(A. Vrabac)