Ivana Marić for NAP: Celebrating the birthday in Banja Luka is a wise decision by the SDP leadership

The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDP BiH) marked 108 years since the launch of the organization's work in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Banja Luka, writes the Patria agency.

Less than a year and a half before the General Elections in BiH, when there is already much talk about the unification or consolidation of left-wing parties, the strongest opposition party in BiH decided to celebrate such a jubilee in Banja Luka.

By organizing the celebration of its 108th birthday in Banja Luka, the SDP decided to show its critics who portray the SDP as an exclusively Bosniak party that they are wrong. The march of several hundred social democrats from all over BiH through the streets of Banja Luka and the laying of flowers at the monument to anti-fascists in Trg palih boraca passed without a single incident, or even any special security.

All of this is an indicator that people in this country have long been fed up with divisions in society and that it is possible to create a society where only what kind of person one is matters, not what their name is or which nation or religion they belong to.

Political analyst Ivana Marić told NAP that the decision of the SDP leadership to celebrate its 108th birthday in Banja Luka is indeed a wise decision.

- The SDP is indeed the strongest multinational party in BiH, and it is proud of that, while other parties still gather the most political points by presenting themselves as exclusive protectors of "their" peoples. However, the largest percentage of SDP members and voters are still Bosniaks, so I believe that celebrating the anniversary in Banja Luka is a wise decision by the party leadership. It is difficult, if not impossible, to win over voters from RS while sitting in Sarajevo, and the same applies to parts of BiH with a majority Croat population – points out analyst Marić.

She believes that the term left itself, due to its abuse by parties and individuals who have nothing to do with the left, evokes quite negative connotations among the electorate.

- Political parties in BiH are not yet politically mature enough for us to divide them into left, right, and center. Parties that represented the left yesterday become radical right overnight, and vice versa. Therefore, I believe that the SDP made a mistake by allowing them to impose the common denominator "left" on them. This would not be so bad if that term did not carry predominantly negative connotations and ridicule – states Ivana Marić.

Ivana Marić emphasized that the SDP and other left-wing parties have a great chance in the next elections, considering the poor moves made by the current government.

- Given the poor moves and disunity within the current government, i.e., the right-wing, the SDP and the rest of the left have an opportunity to gain significant voter support in the next elections if they manage to convince them that their cadres and programs are the best and that they will know better this time – concluded Ivana Marić.