OPPONENTS UNDERESTIMATED THE SERB PEOPLE

BELGRADE, OCTOBER 15 /SRNA/ – SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said the secret behind the party's excellent results in elections in BiH and Republika Srpska was that it had never tried to deceive its own people and that its opponents had underestimated the Serbs.

"We offered what we could deliver, not what merely sounded good. And the people recognized that," Dodik told Alo. He said the SNSD was not ashamed of its struggle and had been working while others visited foreign embassies, waiting for someone from abroad to dictate their political future. "We built, negotiated, fought where necessary and made concessions where we had to. The people see that, and they reward it," Dodik said. He also said the opponents had underestimated the Serbs, believing that it was enough to hate him for the people to follow suit. "The people do not hate. The people choose. And they have chosen once again, decisively and clearly," Dodik stressed. He said the victory was therefore similar to the one achieved 20 years ago, not only in terms of the numbers but also because the SNSD had once again demonstrated that Serb national consciousness was stronger than any campaign, any deception or any foreign intervention.