Izetbegović "tries": No women among 60 candidates for mayor!

Yesterday, I met with Amra Babić in Visoko, the only female mayor we had in SDA and whose case probably best shows the real attitude of current leaders towards women in politics, said Senad Šepić, MP of SDA in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, writes Patria.

We are publishing his stance on the attitude towards women within SDA in its entirety:

- This morning I am looking at photos and reading a statement from the promotional gathering of the SDA Women's Association, and I quote President Bakir Izetbegović: “I am trying to ensure that women in SDA have their place. They were better positioned at the beginning, when it was necessary to break the ice, and then in that, somewhat, male struggle, they lost positions. I am trying in places where I directly have a say to improve these things. I nominated one woman for the Personnel Committee, and another for the party Council president. And I will continue to do so.” I read these statements, and I still can't believe what I read… And to best understand these Izetbegović's claims about the position of women in SDA under his leadership, here are a few facts:

At the mentioned gathering of the Women's Association, there was not a single female candidate for mayor. Not because they didn't come, but because SDA did not nominate them. Not a single one. Out of 60 nominated candidates, 0 are women. The SDA Collegium, chaired by President Izetbegović, has 12 members, and all of them are men.

Out of 30 members of the SDA Presidency, which is also largely elected upon the proposal of President Izetbegović, only two are women.

Out of 112 members of the current SDA Main Board, 12 are women, of whom half are in leadership positions. The cabinet of the BiH Presidency Member from the Bosniak people, i.e., President Izetbegović's cabinet, has 5 advisors – all men. So, again, no women. For comparison, Čović's cabinet has 7 advisors, of whom 3 are women, and Mladen Ivanić's cabinet has 6 advisors, of whom 4 are women.

This is the situation “up there” in the highest bodies of the Party and in places where President Izetbegović directly has a say, which he referred to in his statement.

It is difficult to believe that the current leadership of the largest political party, with all the “effort” that the SDA president talks about, has not been able to ensure equal participation of women. The figures mentioned are the truth, and they show that there is not even symbolic participation of women, who make up more than half of the population of our country.

Also, the information from the statement that a woman is the president of the SDA Council is confusing, because official decisions and those on the website state that the president of the SDA Council is Prof. Dr. Selmo Cikotić.

It is true, however, that several women have been appointed to leading positions in our Council, one of whom is the wife of President Izetbegović, who has also been appointed director of the largest clinical center in the country. In democratic societies, the president's wife, during his current term, is usually involved in humanitarian work, regardless of what she did before, as in the case of President Obama, whose wife Michelle resigned from her position as deputy director of the University Medical Center in Chicago after her husband was elected president in 2009, or, for example, the case of Turkish President Erdoğan, whom Izetbegović often mentions as a political role model, whose wife Emine is very active in humanitarian work, fighting poverty, and working with remote communities in need of help. Or, also the example of Angela Merkel's husband, Joachim Sauer, who was a university professor before his wife became chancellor and still is (meaning, he did not become a dean or rector of a university...), shows how responsibly one relates to politics and public office.

Of course, our country is far from that, but if we want to move towards those standards, then we should not overlook public humiliation.

I have dedicated a large part of my political engagement to the fight for greater representation of youth and women in party bodies and decision-making positions in our country. I know what problems, selfishness, and obstacles are faced by young people and women who work for the good of their community from a few people in the current party leadership. And I am convinced that with these groups, SDA would be much stronger, fairer, more honest, and more dedicated to its work.

And finally, let me return to the story from the beginning of the text. Amra Babić has proven herself in the local community with her dedicated work. Her commitment to her job, the development of the Visoko municipality, and the improvement of the living standards of its citizens have been recognized by the people living in that municipality, but not by the current SDA leadership. And that is why, in these elections, out of 60 candidates, we have no women. And these are actions, what we currently are, and statements and phrases that mean nothing are something else.

These are all facts due to which I have publicly called for the democratization of SDA in the past, for a party for all its members, I have called for a more transparent and responsible approach. An approach that will enable women like Amra to be supported and represented in the most responsible positions and serve the people who elect them, not the president and his narrow circle of subordinates to achieve their personal interests and ambitions. That is the SDA I want and which our people and country need, and I believe that we should all strive together in that direction with all true members throughout BiH and that we can achieve it together – says Senad Šepić.