Which current will win: Nikšić supported by the majority of the base, Bešlagić pushed by the "Tuzla machinery"

An extraordinary Congress of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDP) will be held in Sarajevo tomorrow, where a new president of this party will be elected, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

There are five candidates confirmed by the SDP Main Board: outgoing Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Nermin Nikšić, former mayor of Tuzla Selim Bešlagić, current SDP Secretary General and President of the SDP Main Board and Vice President of the Federation Svetozar Pudarić, member of the Main Board and wartime member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirko Pejanović, and SDP Main Board member Besima Borić.

Among all candidates, two have the highest chances: Nikšić and Bešlagić. According to our sources, Herzegovinian SDP members, as well as those from Sarajevo, will support Nermin Nikšić, while the Tuzla wing of the SDP strongly pushes Bešlagić.

It is not yet known how members from the Una-Sana Canton will vote, but according to our information, consultations are ongoing, and it is more likely that they will also support Nermin Nikšić.

Precisely because of the fact that his biggest rival is Bešlagić, in his statements to the media, Bešlagić sharply attacks Nikšić, stating that Nikšić is afraid of a public debate with other candidates, and that he "fears the judgment of the broader membership."

On the other hand, Nikšić takes a much milder approach in public, stating that it will not be easy for anyone who is elected.

Incidentally, this is a specific Congress with a limited mandate for the future leadership, which is elected for less than a year. The Congress will also confirm the unification of the SDP and the USD, which was already confirmed at the previously held Main Board session.

There is a concern among the membership that the new SDP president will spend the next year more on preparing the ground for re-election to that position, rather than on the accumulated internal problems that were, among other things, one of the reasons for this party's electoral debacle in the October elections.

The Congress could also be turbulent due to the fact that the election of members of the new Main Board and delegates for the Congress was ostensibly done at the base level, i.e., municipal organizations voted for members, but the will of the membership of the municipal organizations was not respected.

For example, those deemed unsuitable who criticized Zlatko Lagumdžija and his team were eliminated, and despite winning 20 or more votes, they were not proposed for the Main Board, but Lagumdžija-loyal cadres like Lidija Korać or Bakir Hadžiomerović were pushed through with only five votes received.

The extraordinary Congress will be held in the building of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina starting at 10 a.m. (Saturday).

OLDEST CANDIDATE BEŠLAGIĆ 72, YOUNGEST NIKŠIĆ 54 YEARS OLD

Among the five candidates for SDP president, the oldest is Selim Bešlagić (Tuzla) at 72 years old, followed by Mirko Pejanović (Sarajevo) at 68, Besima Borić (Sarajevo) at 64, Svetozar Pudarić (Sarajevo) at 55, and the youngest, Nermin Nikšić (Konjic), at 54 years old.