Citizens form Mostar will not have elections this year once again. Central Electoral Commission of BiH called general elections in November this year for all municipalities and cities except for the City Council of Mostar. Citizens form Mostar last time elected City Council in 2008. According to verdict of the Constitutional Court of BiH delivered in 2010 Parliamentary Assembly was ordered to change unconstitutional part of the Electoral Law related to elections of the City Council of Mostar but SDA and HDZ were not able to settle agreement for 12 years. As elections were not held in 2012, City Council was dismissed and from that time mayor Ljubo Bešlić has been supremely govern the city on Neretva.
Citizen of Mostar and vice president of Our Party was not able to elect and be elected from 2012 to 2016. But this will surely happen in 2020. Due to the violation of the voting right, this citizen sued Bosnia and Herzegovina before European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg and the verdict was delivered in her favor. Bosnia and Herzegovina, exactly Parliament of BiH had deadline of six months to change electoral law. If not, Constitutional Court should impose temporary solution. Verdict is obligatory from the end of January. The deadline expires and citizens of Mostar are hope they will have elections. On elections, life in Mostar and threats she received, Irma Baralija has spoken in interview for magazine BUKA.
BUKA: General elections are called for November but Mostar was once again omitted. What was your reaction to this news?
Yes, elections are called… I am not surprised; this was one of the three possible options which after verdict Baralija vs. BiH was delivered become part of the discussion. Calling elections in the rest of BiH, excluding Mostar, meant merely that our elections will be held later than anticipated but it did not mean they will not be held at all. Therefore, I was not surprised but disappointed because this was one more defeat for democracy in general and democratic processes in this country.
BUKA: Verdict of the European Court for Human Rights determined that your right to elect and be elected was violated. Do you thing elections in Mostar can actually be held?
Absolutely. As I mentioned before, two options are still in the game. One option is that solution will be found in the Parliament of BiH in month and half or if this not happen Constitutional Court of BiH will impose temporary solution for Mostar that will be implemented by Central Electoral Commission. I believe the last option is more realistic and it would bring back democracy in Mostar in February or March next year.
BUKA: How, actually, this status impacts citizens of Mostar?
Negatively, in so many ways. From theoretical and legal impact, meaning it limits our freedom and make us discriminated, violates our rights all the way to practical, every-day impact through complete neglecting public spaces, parks, streets. For example, landfill is illegal for more than half of the year, deadline for engaging collectors for polluted water has been expired for almost two years and we still do not have the same and millions BAM invested in this project disappeared in thin air. Communal firm Komos is in bankruptcy for six years, fired and retired workers from this firm are short for debts and verdicts they received before courts cannot be exercised. There are many examples and levels of Mostar political madness and chaos and solution for all of it are emergency elections and even more emergency activities of legislative authorities.
BUKA: HDZ BiH and SDA are far from the agreement for years. However, in the last few months there are whereabouts their attitudes are close to agreement. Do you find this to be improvement or prolongation of disagreement? Who profits in this situation, in Mostar without elections?
HDZ and SDA have been doing everything to make us believe they are trying to make an agreement, but this is distraction, show for ordinary people. The truth is, this is the situation these political parties are profiting the most and they are actually trying to keep status quo which enables them to spend huge quantity of money form the budget without adequate monitoring. If they easily and in friendship-partnership environment were able to make agreement on spending money for the last ten years and every day, it is naïve to believe they were not able to make agreement on how to hold elections. These political parties lost all credibility in Mostar and fortunately Mostar is no longer just a matter of “good will”. We got the whole world on its feet, went all the way to Strasbourg and we are ready to go wherever to return city they stole from us!
BUKA: Today, you were able to collect signatures for candidacy list in Konjic. How many signatures did you collect? Last night you were threatened. Do you feel endangered and according to you is this individual or bot threat?
Today, we were in Konjic and on very short term we collected around 250 signatures of support which is enough for us to offer our candidacy list on the upcoming elections. We were surprised by somewhat disapproval on social networks that was on our account after we announced our visit to Konjic. I personally received public and private threats and there was a lot of hate speech that were addressed to us through comments on my posts but also through different social groups and pages. Fortunately for us, this is what moved many people from Konjic to come to Square today and provide us with support and show us that Konjic is more than few people tried to create in virtual space. It is quite clear that governing castes are doing everything to spread fear and hate because this is how they operate. The thing is I thought they learned that we cannot be stopped in this way.
BUKA: It is important to inform citizens of BiH what can happen if BiH end up like Mostar. What are consequences for citizens?
Democracy is based on the right of citizens to elect and be elected. If someone decides to deny us that right, even for a month like this potential delay for November, this someone ruins democratic order of this state and this is on its own enough for severe reactions by the opposition and the citizens likewise. We cannot allow they remain on the course they intend to take.
BUKA: You are active as citizen and as a member of political party, more accurately you are vice president of Our Party. Do you think that responsibility for Mostar is also in the hands of opposition parties?
I do not think Mostar is to be called shared responsibility in that sense. In several decades, coalition HDZ/SDA in Mostar was so overwhelmingly present so it is really a wonder for opposition to remain there having in mind pressures, repression and manipulation by war traumas which was used by the government to prolong status quo.
Text was downloaded from: http://www.6yka.com
Photo: klix.ba
Women Citizens for Constitutional Reform 