Izetbegović: SDA gained 76,000 new votes

The traditional New Year's SDA press conference was held in Sarajevo, where Bakir Izetbegović, Deputy President of SDA, recalled the events and processes that marked 2014, and also assessed the situation, problems, chances, and opportunities with which we are entering the new year 2015, writes the Patria News Agency.

The beginning of February was marked by a spontaneous revolt of citizens exhausted by poverty, injustice, selfishness, and the indolence of politicians, especially those who promised a lot in the 2010 elections and did almost nothing of what they promised. Instead of the promised economic progress, the fight against crime and corruption, and the accelerated progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Euro-Atlantic integration, the ruling SDP-SNSD coalition has led us to a complete blockade of the reform and integration process, to economic stagnation and decline.

Promises of energetic fight against corruption turned into their opposite through the adoption of laws that favor corruption, such as the Law on Public Procurement and the Law on Conflict of Interest. The spontaneous revolt and justified dissatisfaction of the citizens were, unfortunately, misused by actors working from the background, and turned into violence in which a large number of people were injured and the buildings of the Presidency of BiH, the Archives of BiH, and several cantonal government buildings were set on fire. Attacks on state institutions were coordinated, media-encouraged, and logistically supported. Dragan Lukač, director of the Federal Police Administration, assessed that it was an attempted coup d'état – says Izetbegović.

In his address, he also touched upon the floods and all the conferences held in connection with them, and noted that the reconstruction in the spring must be even greater, because the winter slowed down the process of rebuilding destroyed houses and facilities.

He particularly focused on the General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- The competition was strong and the campaign was harsh, sometimes dirty. Instead of presenting their own successes and programs, parties and candidates often stepped out of the bounds of decency by disqualifying opponents and their families. SDA was exposed to a joint attack by almost all rival parties with the thesis that it was to blame for everything bad that has befallen BiH society and the state in the last two decades. Our response was an intensive, correct, and positive campaign, with clear goals and a program.

The voters' response was also clear – SDA achieved a brilliant victory, the likes of which it had not seen since 1998. With over 300,000 votes, the Party of Democratic Action is the absolute winner of the October elections at the state level, at the level of the Federation of BiH, at the cantonal level in all cantons where Bosniaks form the majority of the population.

At all these levels, SDA won twice as many votes and mandates as the party that follows it. The strength of SDA also boosted the Homeland coalition and made it an important political factor in RS. SDA achieved a special success in urban areas such as Sarajevo, Tuzla, Mostar... in cities that were exposed to violent and prolonged demonstrations, thereby giving a clear answer to the thesis that the people consider SDA most responsible for the poor socio-economic situation in the country. The elections definitively refuted the thesis about the alleged coalition, and thus the shared responsibility, of SDA and SDP. SDP lost two-thirds of its voters, SDA gained 76,000 new ones. We improved our election result compared to 2010 by almost 40%. The people, obviously, see well and distinguish clearly. THE PEOPLE KNOW! – added Izetbegović