Irfan Čengić Officially Announces Candidacy for Stari Grad Mayor, Supported by the Trio and Councillors

(Patria) - Irfan Čengić today officially announced his candidacy for the mayor of Stari Grad municipality in the early elections following the recall of Ibrahim Hadžibajrić, who has been in custody since May. The early elections will be held in October.

The municipal organisations of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, People and Justice, and Our Party in Stari Grad municipality, as well as several councillors from the Stari Grad Municipal Council, have supported Čengić, who is currently a representative in the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton and a delegate in the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On this occasion, the Trio Agreement on cooperation and action in the early elections for the mayor of Stari Grad Sarajevo municipality in 2023 was signed. With the agreement, the signatories committed to continuing their activities based on the principles and guidelines of the document "Sarajevo Agreement 2020," as was the practice of these three municipal organisations after the dissolution of the coalition at the beginning of the mandate with the party of the former mayor, who abandoned this agreement.

The agreement was signed by the presidents of the municipal organisations of the Trio parties: President of the SDP SG Municipal Board Muamer Mekić, President of the NiP SG Municipal Board Emir Bićo, and President of the Our Party Municipal Board in Stari Grad Zlatan Ljuhar on one side, and Irfan Čengić, as the candidate for mayor of these three parties, on the other side.

- The cooperation of the Trio parties in Stari Grad municipality has been very intensive and correct since the beginning of the mandate, and the activities of our municipal organisations are carried out in accordance with joint agreements. Therefore, a logical sequence of events is a joint candidate for the early elections in Stari Grad municipality. We believe that Irfan Čengić is an excellent choice because he is a young, courageous, competent person ready to tackle the accumulated problems in our municipality.

Taught by previous experience and appreciating the fact that we already have announced broader support from certain political entities, we take this opportunity to invite them, through their activities and possibly signing certain agreements, to support our candidate, because if we want what is best for our fellow citizens, we must be united in that struggle," said Emir Bićo, President of the People and Justice Municipal Board Stari Grad.

In his address to the media, Čengić said that the Presidency of the SDP had given support to his candidacy. He pointed out that besides the Trio parties, his candidacy is also supported by DF, SBB, and the Alliance for Stari Grad, but that this does not mean they are in any coalition.

"Our goal is to have enough hands to be able to realise everything we promise. We want to bring new projects to Stari Grad, a new attitude towards employees and the citizens of Stari Grad. I believe I have enough political experience to lead the municipality. When you elect this team, we can start working immediately. What are the urgent measures is stabilisation in Stari Grad. We had a political earthquake and we need to bring work back within the framework of the law.

We will not deal with opposing candidates, I will not deal with them. I believe that every candidate should be taken seriously and we cannot underestimate anyone," said Čengić.

He said that citizens will have the opportunity to have their say at the upcoming elections in October 2024 and show how the new mayor has worked over the past year.