Scenarios for the reconstruction of the KS Government: Will the "trojka" stay together, will ZNG leave power, will Uk be prime minister for the third time?

By Amra Vrabac

The Canton of Sarajevo, from which the "trojka" parties (SDP, NIP, NS) launched their conquering campaign for power at the federal and state levels, has never been in a worse situation. Suspicious personnel, harmful policies in education at all levels, irrational budget spending, investigations against officials and members of the KS Government have led to the official announcement of a new KS Government. This will be the third since the first was formed in March 2023.

In March 2023, the "trojka" parties formed the KS Government with the Party of BiH. A few months later, apparently dissatisfied with the responsible work of the Party of BiH ministers – Finance and Communal Economy – the "trojka" decided to expel this party from power.

Instead of the Party of BiH and their then three remaining votes in the KS Assembly, given that Admela Hodžić had left the party, at the request of Elmedin Konaković, the movement For New Generations entered the KS Government. In the KS Assembly, ZNG has Damir Marjanović. Nevertheless, this party was given two extremely important portfolios – Finance and Higher Education. However, it should be recalled that until then, Our Party led higher education, and then a rotation occurred. Our Party took over Communal Economy, and Marjanović's cadre took over Higher Education.

Internal friction and accusations became increasingly frequent. Our Party, for example, has long been dissatisfied with the situation in education in Sarajevo Canton. It is no secret that they are not enthusiastic about NIP's choice for the position of Minister Hota-Muminović and her ideas in education, imposed solutions and reforms, which resulted in strikes and dissatisfaction among teachers, instructors, and professors, who have organized strikes multiple times. Parents and students are also dissatisfied, but apparently, no one is asking them.

It should not be forgotten that Hota-Muminović, with the help of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of KS, headed by another NIP cadre, Admir Katica, managed to stop the strike of education workers in May this year. Thus, the authorities used force against education workers and those who educate our children. In a democratic society, such actions fall under tyranny and authoritarian regimes. Hota-Muminović behaves as if she owns education in KS, and the damage is already visible.

In SDP, for example, they were dissatisfied from the beginning with the proposal of Nihad Uk for the KS Prime Minister, even though that party has the fewest representatives in the "trojka". Nihad Uk took over such a responsible position from the assembly bench and became the head of KS. He will be remembered for his quarrel with more than 1,000 young people who were defrauded of subsidies for the purchase of their first property. It is an open secret that Uk already offered his resignation a few months ago, but withdrew it. At that moment, it was not convenient for anyone to change anything in the KS Government.

However, after the local election results, nervousness began to grow. NIP, whose leader Elmedin Konaković is the leader of the process in KS, recorded the biggest decline. Although he very often likes to say that due to his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he is not involved in cantonal affairs, his media appearances have contradicted him. When the story about the elections in the Football Association of KS and the friction between the Minister of Culture and Sports Kenan Magoda (SDP) and the Minister of Justice and Administration Darja Softić-Kadenić (NS) intensified, Konaković said that he would convene a meeting at the cantonal level and get involved in that matter.

On the first anniversary of the second KS Government's work, on November 15, the Minister of Communal Economy Bojan Bošnjak (Our Party) was arrested on suspicion of abuse of office and favoritism towards the mayor of Trnovo, Ibri Berilo. The KS Government hastily publicly supported Bošnjak, while after the extension of his detention for another two months, the situation became complicated. But not only the processes in the Ministry, where the hiring of 17 employees is underway, but also the "trojka" itself.

It should not be forgotten that before Bošnjak's arrest, a month earlier, cadres from NIP and Our Party were arrested for illegal appointments in KJKP Rad. All of this shook the relations within the "trojka" parties and created a situation where no one trusts anyone anymore. Relations at other levels of government also began to complicate, and it became clear that the "trojka" was losing control.

Delays in salary payments, as well as other benefits and subsidies, and finally, the blockade of salary payments for 2,700 employees of the University of Sarajevo due to the arbitrariness of the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Higher Education for disputing the legality of the rector of UNSA, Tarik Zaimović, deepened the problems within the KS Government.

Thus, on Friday, December 20, Our Party finally made a decision and publicly invited partners to reconstruct the government, offering that the portfolio of communal economy be taken over by another party.

Since, according to the law, a Ministry cannot be led by a secretary for more than 30 days, this portfolio should have been taken over by one of the ministers. At yesterday's session of the KS Government, there were frictions, and no agreement was reached on which minister would take over this complex ministry. Given that the arrested Bošnjak is a cadre of Our Party, it was proposed that Softić-Kadenić take over the management, but the session ended without decisions.

What could the new KS Government look like?

If the "trojka" decides to eliminate cadres from For New Generations from the KS Government, then for a majority, they would need the votes of independent deputies who have constituted the majority so far. However, the decision on this will have to be made by the party leaders because the relationships of some of them with Damir Marjanović are of a deeper nature, despite the fact that ZNG cadres are undermining the University of Sarajevo, supported by some other institutions.

If a KS Government were formed without ZNG, then those two positions would be taken over by cadres from SDP and NIP, as the parties with the most deputies, while the position of prime minister remains open. According to the opinion of most deputies in the KS Assembly, Uk is not up to the task and it was a mistake to give him such responsibility.

However, although it was rumored in the corridors that Adnan Šteta could take over the position of prime minister, he does not want to leave the Ministry of Transport in order to complete the initiated projects such as the tram line to Hrasnica, the trolleybus network to Vogošća, traffic infrastructure, adaptive traffic management...

However, one should not forget the warnings that came from certain cantonal enterprises, and the "trojka" parties will have to select and evaluate the work of their directors. However, it seems that no one is ready to admit a personnel mistake, so even in the public statements of cantonal deputies, the discussion is general, in the plural, without clearly identifying companies and cadres.

At this moment, even sources from the "trojka" parties cannot say with certainty what the new KS Government will look like or when it will be voted on.

However, what is certain is that the relationships have been significantly damaged, trust has been lost, and such a government can only cause harm, not benefit.

It is time for the political leaders, with the whisper of a gray eminence who has great influence on the presidents of all parties, to make a final decision and present a plan for the reconstruction of the KS Government.

If they are not capable of doing so, then they should not wait until 2026 but resign immediately from all positions they hold. And such a request should come from the KS Assembly, on which the appointment of the new KS Government depends.