Bosniak Club warns of irregularities in Mostar and outvoting in the City Council

(Patria) - The Bosniak Councillors' Club in the Mostar City Council announced at today's press conference that they will not attend Council sessions if positions for Bosniaks in the City Administration are not filled in leading positions.

They point out that the failure to fill vacant positions in the city administration has led to illegal actions in the city's services and departments.

Particular emphasis is placed on the transfer of land owned by the state and in the possession of the city of Mostar, with the cadastral record showing ownership by Elektroprivreda HZ HB.

They state that the possessor has been changed for 207 parcels, and that the Salakovac hydroelectric power plant is also registered to Elektroprivreda HZ HB, and they have called upon the inspection service to stop such illegal actions.

The president of the Bosniak Councillors' Club in the Mostar City Council, Mirza Drežnjak, stated that a practice that undermines the principles of equality and respect has been ongoing for a long time.

Drežnjak stated that the mayor of Mostar applies a selective approach in his work, which, they claim, undermines the principles of fairness and equality.

He particularly emphasizes that the views of the Bosniak Councillors' Club are being ignored and that their representatives are frequently outvoted in the sessions of the Mostar City Council.

He said that there are not enough people in important positions in the Mostar City Administration, which leads to irregularities in work.

He stated that key positions in the cadastre, inspection, business service center, Stari Grad agency, as well as in the management and supervisory boards of public companies, are not filled. Because of this, he claims, abuses occur, especially in the cadastre, where land is transferred from one institution to another without verifying the actual situation on the ground.

As an example, he cited the transfer of land from the Neretva hydroelectric power plant to Elektroprivreda HZHB without an inspection of who actually uses it.

He emphasized that part of the mentioned land is already state-owned.

"Part of the land is owned by the City of Mostar, and it would be logical for the cadastral record to reflect this change of possession, but the cadastral decision states that all this land be transferred to JP HZ HB, which is over 750 dunams of land in various cadastral municipalities, from Vrapčići, Potok, Vojno, Raštani, Željuša, without public involvement or interested parties, even though there are already built business and residential buildings on many parcels, and no one has inspected the situation on the ground," stated Drežnjak.

The president of the Mostar City Council, Đani Rahimić, assessed that the Mostar city administration is not functioning as it should, emphasizing that the absence of tender procedures leads to legal uncertainty.

He stated that tenders for the supervisory boards of public companies are not being announced, emphasizing that key positions cannot remain unfilled, regardless of ethnic affiliation.

"Such actions put public companies, as well as the City Administration, in a state of legal uncertainty and disarray," said Rahimić.

He also added that the mayor, as the head of the city, bears responsibility for this situation.

Rahimić emphasized that announcing tenders is a legal obligation and warned that not filling vacant positions leads to "anarchy," especially in the cadastre.

As an example, he cited, as he claims, the illegal registration of ownership of the Salakovac hydroelectric power plant, which is owned by Elektroprivreda BiH, to Elektroprivreda HZHB, assessing it as a serious violation of the law.

He added that the inspection has been informed of everything and warned that such situations create legal uncertainty and deter investors, because, as he stated, they call into question the security of property ownership.

The Bosniak Councillors' Club proposed that the disputed decision be repealed until the factual situation is determined, with the message that they expect the law and competent procedures to be respected.

Rahimić assessed that the dismissals and the failure to fill leading positions previously held by Bosniaks represent a serious blow to the functioning of the City of Mostar.

He also warned of the alleged marginalization of Bosniak representatives in the city government, emphasizing that councilors from the Bosniak community might boycott City Council sessions if such practices continue.