Opposition in KS: Government in technical mandate should only perform essential tasks, but it is raising prices and planning to borrow

Interviewer: Delvin Kovač

For over a month, the Government of Sarajevo Canton (KS) has been functioning in a "technical mandate." And it is not a realistic scenario that this will change anytime soon.

Prime Minister Nihad Uk (Our Party) resigned on February 15 (thereby dissolving the entire Government), presenting it as an act of political and moral responsibility after the tragic tram accident that occurred three days earlier, as well as the numerous youth protests that followed in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, despite the fact that the KS Assembly dismissed Uk and his ministers at a session on the evening of March 6, the KS Government continued to function as if absolutely nothing had happened. More than a month later, it turns out that this was just a typical public performance.

The opposition in the KS Assembly is united: a government in a "technical mandate" should only perform current and essential tasks, without making major, long-term, or politically and socially sensitive decisions.

And it should especially not be raising utility prices, as it did a few days ago. Or even planning new borrowing of almost 100 million convertible marks.

MP Marijela Hašimbegović (DF) believes that the current political situation in Sarajevo Canton, in which the Government continues to work at full capacity despite announced resignations and dismissal, represents not only a political absurdity but a direct assault on the principles of the rule of law and institutional integrity.

- The status of "technical mandate" in developed political systems implies exclusively performing essential tasks for continuity, while the current Government uses this status to continue questionable processes, ignoring the fact that their political legitimacy has ceased to exist - Hašimbegović told the Patria News Agency (NAP).

She emphasizes that the continuity in decision-making that has long-term implications for the budget and citizens' needs is particularly concerning.

- This administration will certainly be remembered for its extremely non-transparent spending of public money. The implementation of capital projects through secret contracts directly violates the principles of transparency and oversight - our interlocutor points out.

According to her, paving the way to "debt slavery" without transparent projects and clear economic justification represents irresponsible resource management that will burden future generations for decades.

- From the perspective of political science and public administration, we are witnessing a state of institutional anomie. The Government of Sarajevo Canton, which is claimed to be the worst in history, has chosen to usurp public space and functions instead of a dignified withdrawal - warns Hašimbegović.

This practice, the DF MP continues, degrades the dignity of institutions and sends a dangerous message that personal and particular interests are above the common good.

- The question that arises is not only when this Government will leave, but what will be the extent of the damage it leaves behind. Remedying the consequences of its rule will require a radical shift towards transparency and a rigorous review of all contracts signed in the shadow of the "technical mandate".

Ultimately, the darkest reflection of such a system is not contained in numbers and debts, but in the tragic loss of human life that has become the breaking point of social patience. When institutions fail in their primary obligation - protecting citizens - they lose all meaning of existence.

- The justified revolt of young people we are witnessing is not just a political protest; it is a civilizational response to a government for which bureaucratic survival and maintaining a technical mandate are more important than the safety and dignity of individuals.

The tragedy that claimed a young life has exposed the harsh truth: in a system driven by non-transparency and irresponsibility, human life becomes a statistical error in power calculations.

This Government no longer owes just a resignation; it owes an answer to the question - what is the price of its institutional ignorance paid with the lives of those it was obliged to protect - concluded Hašimbegović.


Marijela Hašimbegović

If we are to speak plainly, says MP Faruk Selmanović (SDA) to NAP, Nihad Uk's action was not a resignation, but a carefully packaged political maneuver and a perfidious political deception.

- How else can one describe an act where you submit your resignation, have it accepted by the Assembly, and then continue to hold office as if nothing happened - Selmanović asked.

He notes that citizens of Sarajevo Canton must understand that the "Trojka" (a coalition of three parties) did not make a mistake in interpreting the law here and that they knew exactly what they were doing.

- Uk, with his tearful childish voice, tried to buy himself and his party a respite at a time of enormous security, utility, and financial problems. With full awareness that a new government cannot be formed and that he will remain where he is - Selmanović told us.

Therefore, he adds, he formally resigned, but essentially did not go anywhere - and that is the "resignation".

- And then we come to the second level of the problem, the legal one. The Trojka consciously resorts to provisions that do not fit the specific situation. Invoking Article 13 only makes sense if the Assembly dismisses the Government by a vote of no confidence, which was not the case here, as the Prime Minister resigned himself.

The essence is simple, both legally and politically. The moment the resignation is accepted, the mandate ends. The reason for resignation is completely irrelevant, whether it is a transfer to another position or an attempt at a political maneuver, because the legal effect remains the same.

There is no category of "technical prime minister" who has dismissed himself and continues to manage the system as long as it suits him. In such situations, the law provides a clear mechanism for appointing an acting minister from among the ministers, which is the only correct and legal path - says Selmanović.

Unfortunately, he continues, all of this is irrelevant in the political ideology of the Trojka, an ideology in which a day of mourning is not declared for days, in which cameras are erased and the system is run in such a way that no one is to blame, and everyone is in office.

- This resignation is just the latest example of that - Selmanović concluded.


Faruk Selmanović

Fatima Gavrankapetanović-Smailbegović (Party for BiH) reminds that two months have passed since the serious tram accident in Sarajevo in which a young man lost his life, while a girl suffered severe injuries.

- Unfortunately, as many times before, less and less is being said about this tragedy. I have full confidence in the competent prosecutor's office and believe that, based on the facts, it will determine the causes of the accident and responsibility - emphasizes Gavrankapetanović-Smailbegović.

She also reminds that the Prime Minister and the Government of Sarajevo Canton resigned as an act of moral responsibility, but continue to function in a technical mandate.

- We need to point out the state of cantonal public companies that have been systematically neglected for years, even decades. Such a situation inevitably leads to the problems we have unfortunately witnessed.

Therefore, it is necessary to insist on accountability, but also on responsible and professional behavior from all those managing these systems. Especially in an election year, we must be extra careful.

We must not allow the focus of institutions to shift solely to the election campaign while key problems remain on the sidelines. It is precisely then that supervision and accountability must be increased to prevent recurrences.

The safety of citizens and the functionality of the system must not depend on politics; that must be our constant priority - stated Gavrankapetanović-Smailbegović.


Fatima Gavrankapetanović-Smailbegović

- As we announced earlier, the resignation of Prime Minister Uk and his Government, and then their dismissal in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, is not a moral act at all, but a classic populist show for the public - cantonal MP Mahir Dević (SDA) told NAP.

Assessing it as incredibly irresponsible and arrogant, he said that the Trojka simply ignores the judgment of the expert public and citizens.

- Over all these years since they have been in power in Sarajevo Canton, they have shown many times that they are willing to do anything to keep their seats. They started with populist measures and "buying" citizens' favor.

They continued with completely irresponsible disregard for regulations and procedures, enormous borrowing, and suspicious appointments. They have shown incompetence in managing public services in Sarajevo Canton.

A third of the Government is under indictment. And the tram accident was just the last straw. Unfortunately, it will remain this way until the elections. These days we see them making appointments in public institutions as if nothing has happened.

At the same time, they are unable to even appoint a new director of GRAS. Reports from a number of companies and institutions are not on the Assembly's agenda. In all of this, the deputies of the Trojka in the Assembly, and especially the Speaker Okerić, bear significant responsibility.

We, as the opposition, can talk about all of this, but real change can only be made by the citizens in October - concluded Dević.


Mahir Dević

Jasmin Šaljić (Party for BiH) emphasizes that if the KS Government is truly in a technical mandate, then one basic rule applies - it should only perform current and essential tasks, without making major, long-term, or politically and socially sensitive decisions.

- And in practice, this means that in a technical mandate, they can and should usually maintain the functioning of the system (salaries, benefits, and basic services). They should implement already adopted decisions and budgets, and react only in emergency situations.

They should by no means raise utility prices while in resignation, as they did a few days ago, where heating prices for citizens increased by five percent. This price increase has a broader social impact, and a group of people in resignation led by the prime minister should not make such decisions without the consent of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly - Šaljić notes.

He characterized the fact that this resigned KS Government is also planning and collecting documentation to borrow a staggering 92 million marks as particularly dangerous.

- This means they have publicly deceived the citizens, given fictitious resignations. The current majority is absolutely not looking for a new prime minister and ministers; they don't need to, because this was the plan to quell citizen protests and keep everything the same until the elections at the end of the year - Jasmin Šaljić concluded in his conversation with NAP.


Jasmin Šaljić