Dodik's playing with fire, Banja Luka and Bijeljina will burn him

SARAJEVO, Neither Banja Luka nor Bijeljina will support the reduction of mayors' powers in these two cities, is the message from Draško Stanivuković and Ljubiša Petrović.

"Our message is that Banja Luka cannot and will not support this. Neither Banja Luka nor Bijeljina will support it," said the Mayor of Banja Luka, Draško Stanivuković, commenting on the amendments to the law that provide for the reduction of powers for mayors of cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, reports BN Television.

"So, you literally draw two cities in Republika Srpska, and these are two cities where you did not win during the elections. This is a classic change of the citizens' will," said Stanivuković.

He stated that citizens voted for the mayor with their functions, but the Assembly in Banja Luka and Bijeljina does not allow them to have their deputies, but is now imposing "new solutions" on them.

"Then, during annual leave or any absence, the Assembly appoints your deputy who signs all sorts of madness, and can even convene a city assembly session and do so without you. This is a monstrous decision. These are laws for one-time political use," said Stanivuković.

The Mayor of Banja Luka believes that if the political situation in Banja Luka or Bijeljina were different tomorrow, the proposers of these amendments would change the law again.

"To play with politics, laws like this, to use the National Assembly of Republika Srpska as the highest legislative body to satisfy yourselves and your politics, even your sick ambitions, is simply unbelievable," said Stanivuković.

He further states that the employer in a city is the mayor, and they are now saying that the Speaker of the Assembly will have their own cabinet, their own systematization, and will be able to hire and transfer employees.

"So, instead of one employer, they are imposing two employers. It cannot be like that. The election structure is that citizens directly elect the mayor, and the city's management is centralized. From one person, the mayor, to department heads and employees. That is the structure. Now, instead of one structure, they are creating another, and now the Speaker of the Assembly will have their own powers, even their own cabinet. In the end, it costs money, it is impractical, it is not normal to have two employers in this way," said Stanivuković.

He called on national deputies and political representatives not to allow such a thing.

"It is too illogical, impractical. It is political revenge and can only cause harm," emphasized Stanivuković.

The Mayor of Bijeljina, Ljubiša Petrović, shares the same opinion, stating that the proposed new government law on local administration and self-government takes away powers from mayors and transfers them to the Speaker of the City Assemblies.

Petrović claims that this is another in a series of attacks on local communities where the opposition has won mayoral positions, and that it is also a humiliation of the citizens who gave their votes to the mayors of Bijeljina and Banja Luka.

The amendment to the Law stipulates that the Speaker of the Assembly in cities of Republika Srpska with over 100,000 inhabitants has the possibility to take over the mayor's powers.

The only cities with over 100,000 inhabitants in Republika Srpska are Banja Luka and Bijeljina, where the mayors are Draško Stanivuković from PDP and Ljubiša Petrović from SDS.