Ten years since the death of Professor Nijaz Duraković

(Patria) - Ten years have passed since the death of Nijaz Duraković, a respected professor, politician, publicist, the first president of SDP BiH, and a wartime member of the Presidency of RBiH.

He is remembered by many today. Member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly Jasna Duraković, his daughter, posted a photo on Facebook, writing that she felt sad.

The Mayor of Stari Grad Municipality, Ibrahim Hadžibajrić, wrote that he will remember him as a man who had a huge significance and contribution to the political life in the country.

“It has been ten full years since the death of Professor Nijaz Duraković, a wartime member of the Presidency of the Republic of BiH and the first president of SDP BiH. We will remember him as a man who had a huge significance and contribution to the political life in the country and was one of the most prominent figures in social life in BiH, promoting the original principles of social democracy and implementing them,” said Hadžibajrić.

Today, the 9th Memorial Chess Tournament “Academician Prof. Dr. Nijaz Duraković” is being held, which will start at 11:30 AM at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo. The tournament is organized by the Sarajevo Chess Club in cooperation with the Faculty of Political Sciences.

The first round is at 12:00 PM, and the tournament will conclude with an award ceremony around 7:00 PM. The organizers have provided significant prizes for the most successful competitors: regular prizes for the top 10 places and special awards for the most successful cultural and public workers from various fields of activity.

The tournament is by invitation only, featuring cultural and public workers from our country and beyond. A maximum of 30 participants will compete, and only individuals invited by the organizers can participate. The tournament will be played using the Swiss system over 9 rounds, with a time control of 15 minutes + 3 seconds increment per player.

The tournament director is Academician Prof. Dr. Suad Kurtćehajić, and the tournament judges are Mirza Miralem (international arbiter) and Zlatko Miladinović (national arbiter). The tournament sponsors are: Novi Grad Sarajevo Municipality, Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Centar Sarajevo Municipality, brothers Ekrem and Ešref Lekić, and Nijaz Skenderagić. Last year's tournament winner was Prof. Dr. Haris Gekić.

Nijaz Duraković was born in Stolac on January 1, 1949. He completed his Sociology studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, where he earned his Master's degree in 1975 and his doctorate in 1979. From 1986, he was a full professor at the same faculty, teaching courses in “Comparative Political Systems” and “International Relations”. He was the president of the League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina until 1992, when he formed a new party – the Social Democratic Party (SDP). From 1992 to 1996, he was a member of the Presidency of RBiH. After leaving the SDP, he joined the Social Democratic Union.

He passed away in Sarajevo on January 29, 2012, N1 reports.