After supporting Željka Cvijanović's veto, SDS gets vice-president position in the National Assembly, where they proposed a war crimes indictee

(Patria) - The National Assembly of the Republika Srpska today elected Dragomir Vasić as Vice-President of the National Assembly from the ranks of the largest opposition party, on the proposal of the Club of Deputies of the Serbian Democratic Party, i.e., the head of that party's deputy club, Ognjen Bodiroga. Thus, Nenad Stevandić now has four deputies: Anja Ljubojević (SNSD), Mirsad Duratović (SDP), Petko Rankić (SP), and Vasić.

Sixty-three out of 69 present deputies voted for this decision, with none against or abstaining.

Interestingly, the SNSD and its coalition partners have refused for more than two years to appoint a Vice-President of the National Assembly from the opposition, even though the rules of procedure stipulate that one vice-presidential seat belongs to the candidate of the largest opposition party.

However, after yesterday's session, where SDS and PDP supported Željka Cvijanović's veto on the conclusion of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a seat for the Vice-President of the National Assembly from SDS suddenly opened up.

In December 2023, Vasić was indicted together with Dragan Spasojević, Vinko Radović, and Petko Panić for being officials of civilian, military, and police authorities and for participating in a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population of Bosniak ethnicity in the Zvornik area.

The indictment states that as co-perpetrators they planned and committed, and assisted in planning, preparing, and committing the forced displacement of several thousand civilians of Bosniak ethnicity from the villages of Đulići, Klisa, and surrounding villages in that municipality.

They are also charged with inhumane treatment, as well as the unlawful detention of part of this population. It is also stated that during the persecution of the population, murders of several civilians of Bosniak ethnicity were committed.

The case against Spasojević has been separated due to the indictee's unavailability to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Vasić was previously indicted for genocide in Srebrenica in his capacity as chief of the Zvornik Public Security Center, and he was acquitted of all charges along with four other former police officers in August 2022.

In August last year, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a final verdict ordering the state to pay Vasić 22,000 marks in damages for the restrictive measures imposed on him during the proceedings.