The only path to elections in Mostar is to block funding for the current authorities

The City Board of Our Party Mostar has launched an initiative for the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina not to pass the decision on financing the City of Mostar for the upcoming year 2017, Patria reports.

Mostar is the only city in Bosnia and Herzegovina where local elections are not held. The last elections were held in 2008. The elections in 2012, as well as those in 2016, were not held. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier ordered the authorities to amend the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the part concerning elections in Mostar, and since the authorities have not done so to date, the city budget has been managed for four years by HDZ Mayor Ljubo Bešlić.

- Concerned about the development of the situation, or rather the lack of development of the situation, regarding the elections in Mostar, and motivated by the negative findings of the audit of the Mostar Budget for 2015, we have launched this initiative. We believe that, after those responsible have ignored public appeals all these years, the only way to deny them control over finances is – stated Our Party. 

- This is precisely the root of the problem, that they can, without elections, illegitimately, illegally, and non-transparently spend money, and as long as that is the case – there will be no elections in Mostar – believe in Our Party. 

- For four years now, the Mostar authorities, consisting of SDA and HDZ, have been deciding behind closed doors and without the participation of the City Council and the public how to spend the city budget of 60 million marks – add from Our Party.

The Office for Audit of Institutions of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina recently discovered that the financial report of the City of Mostar does not truthfully present the state of assets and liabilities of the City of Mostar as of December 31, 2015, nor does it truthfully present operations or the city's cash flow. 
Auditors state that the fixed assets and sources of fixed assets of the City of Mostar, as of December 31, 2015, are not reconciled by as much as 17,454,310 KM.

Short-term receivables reported as of December 31, 2015, in the amount of 22,323,402 KM are also not realistically stated, because documentation does not exist for certain receivables.

The awarding of grants to non-profit organizations in the amount of 421,084 KM was not based on measurable criteria for awarding current grants to citizens' associations, in order to ensure transparency in the spending of public funds.

The auditors also stated in the report that in 2015, service contracts were concluded in the amount of 103,854 KM (gross 122,547 KM), for jobs that are mostly defined by the Rulebook on Internal Organization and Job Classification and represent regular duties of employees, such as: accounting jobs, advisor to the mayor for finance, providing legal and professional services to war veterans, and jobs performed by firefighters.

- The Federal Parliament must no longer approve these illegal and illegitimate activities, and should no longer vote for funding. We must not go into a situation where the Federal Parliament takes responsibility, while the city authorities in Mostar bear no responsibility and spend money as they please. If their funding were cut off, we are convinced that an agreement would be reached very quickly – believe from Our Party, NAP reports.