DODIK: SRPSKA FIRST IN BiH TO BEGIN FORMING ITS GOVERNMENT

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 10 /SRNA/ – SNSD leader Milorad Dodik has said today in Banja Luka that Republika Srpska will be the first in BiH to begin the process of forming its government.

"We will do this by electing the Republika Srpska National Assembly speaker and secretary-general, and by having the president of Republika Srpska and the Serb BiH Presidency member take their oaths of office," Dodik said at a press conference following a meeting of representatives of the political parties forming the ruling majority in Republika Srpska. He stressed that the meeting had addressed all stages of government formation, with particular emphasis on activities at the level of BiH, given that the coalition has nine representatives in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH. "We discussed the contents of the coalition agreement, which will be reviewed by the parties' governing bodies. We expect to sign an agreement regulating our mutual relations next week," Dodik said. He said that a party's positioning means election results. "If a member of parliament moves from one party to another, the election results remain unchanged, whereas external arrivals increase the strength of a political party, and vice versa. We are working together in the best interests of all," Dodik said.