STANIVUKOVIĆ WANTS TO RUN IN ELECTIONS TO AVOID RESPONSIBILITY, BANJA LUKA DEBT IS 56 MILL ION

BRČKO, APRIL 15 /SRNA/ - SNSD leader Milorad Dodik has stated today that Savo Minić is a person the party counts on in the future, while claiming that Banja Luka Mayor Draško Stanivuković wants to run in the upcoming local elections because he is running away from the city he has ruined and which now has a debt of BAM 56 million.

Dodik stressed that Stanivuković is currently the SNSD's strongest political opponent and that the party has no problem with that. “Their choice is who they will nominate. We will have our own proposals. Our proposals will be those who win; our proposals are those who have always won. We have no reason to think about who is on the other side,” Dodik told reporters in Brčko. He noted that Stanivuković had the opportunity to lead Banja Luka but had lowered its standards. “He is an ordinary poser and show-off, a liar who constantly spreads untruths. He is a habitual idler, breaking laws, the leader of an organized group within the City Administration that violated laws regarding the use of budget funds,” Dodik said. Dodik added that Stanivuković is also corrupt, claiming that although he has no income, he buys apartments in Banja Luka while attacking others. “They are used to labeling others, while we are trying to deal with serious politics. For us, Banja Luka is strategically important as the capital city,” Dodik said. He added that he wants Banja Luka to be a well-organized city, not a neglected one, since many guests visit it, referring to the recent visit of Donald Trump Jr. He stated that SNSD is irreplaceable, while Stanivuković, he claims, has not managed to preserve even the political party that brought him into politics. Dodik also commented on opposition candidacy discussions, claiming that German and British embassies are engaged in everything and are "breaking" poor Nebojša Vukanović. “Vukanović does not want Stanivuković. They say he must take Stanivuković. People, this nation needs to open its eyes. Feuding political nobodies,” Dodik assessed. He reminded that Republika Srpska has a stable budget, while Banja Luka, under the current mayor, has been ruined and many projects were allegedly illegal. Dodik said Stanivuković built certain parks and pseudo-lakes and still owes money to contractors, including Niskogradnja from Laktaši, between 800,000 and BAM one million. “When people come to collect their claims, he then demands a new 'kickback' payment. And not a small one. People are saying this. If you want a regulatory plan passed, you must pay his people to put it on the agenda. If you don't pay, you won't get the plan,” Dodik said. He added that SNSD wants development of Banja Luka so that it can progress and present itself properly, claiming that the city is currently overgrown and unkempt, with grass not being cut even during summer months. Regarding Prime Minister Savo Minić, Dodik said he is doing an excellent job and that the Government under his leadership has achieved phenomenal results in difficult circumstances. “Savo Minić is a prime minister who has my full trust, and I believe also that of President of Republika Srpska Siniša Karan and SNSD. Minić is a man we count on in the future,” Dodik said.