Two Hours Past Midnight: Assembly of Sarajevo Canton Adopts Budget for 2024, Not a Single Opposition Amendment Adopted

(Patria) - The Assembly of Sarajevo Canton adopted the Proposed Budget of Sarajevo Canton for 2024 two hours past midnight. 21 representatives voted for the Budget, while 9 were against, and one abstained.

The session lasted all day and half the night, and the Budget was adopted in the amount of 1,530,505,602 KM.

Not a single amendment submitted by opposition parties was adopted, with proposals coming from DF, SDA, and SBiH, which was the reason for strong criticism. DF representative Vedrana Vujović stated that this is not a reflection of a policy of dialogue and respect.

Representatives of the Democratic Front (DF) in the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton, Marijela Hašimbegović, Vedrana Vujović, Ilijaz Pilav, and Albin Zuhrić, submitted 40 amendments to the Proposed Budget of Sarajevo Canton for 2024. Almost all amendments were voted on separately, and the Chairman of the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton, Elvedin Okerić, ironically remarked at the end 'that they can slow us down, but not stop us'.

The Club of Representatives of the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton submitted 14 amendments to the Proposed Budget of Sarajevo Canton. As Muamer Bandić pointed out, the goal of these amendments was to increase the budget scope for capital investment items in the coming year. The focus is on solving real infrastructure problems of citizens in various areas through investments in already prepared projects that have been on hold for several years. Not a single one was adopted!

The lengthy debate was also marked by breaks requested by representatives and Clubs of Representatives. The main objection to this budget was that an additional 300 million KM appeared from the Draft Law to the proposal! Thus, representatives warned that it is clear that the projection in the draft could be off by 20-30 million, but 300 million is too much.

Also, as Mahir Dević repeatedly pointed out, it is not customary to give the Chairman of the Assembly 600,000 KM, and to justify it by saying that 400,000 will go towards the sustainable return of displaced persons, and that the decision on this is made by the cabinet.

Muamer Bandić (SBiH) spoke about how the Government has not found a solution for budget losses due to weighting, and that the budget does not provide for the execution of legal obligations (worker lawsuits).

What could also be heard was criticism that this budget is not developmental but social, and that money is simply being distributed, or rather thrown into the air.

A warning also came regarding the large indebtedness of Sarajevo Canton.

"When the Six came to power, they found 120 million in loans, and if this Budget is implemented, we will be indebted by 400 million, without seeing anything concrete," said Haris Zahiragić, SDA representative.

Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Nihad Uk said they did not allow the reduction in revenue to slow them down in improving the quality of life of their citizens.

“With the Budget, we planned to raise the base salary for all budget users to 380 KM. We want to mitigate the inflation that will also be present in 2024 and motivate employees," said Uk.

He spoke about planned projects in the coming year, including the digitalization process.

"The commitment of our government is to invest in the capacities of our judicial institutions," said Uk.

Speaking about the increase in the cost of living, the Government of Sarajevo Canton decided to increase scholarships for pupils and students, and students in the third cycle of studies will also be entitled to scholarships.

In the Proposed Budget of Sarajevo Canton for 2024, the amount of 500,000 KM is allocated for subsidies for young people to solve housing issues, which is the smallest amount. Minister of Communal Economy Bojan Bošnjak, responding to one of the representatives' questions, said that the criteria for these subsidies will have to be changed and that this is something that cannot be taken for granted. This year, 1,142 applicants qualified for the subsidy, but 5.5 million KM was set aside for these purposes, and applicants will receive about 4,800 KM, which is the smallest amount ever.