Session in Mostar: Secret or Public Voting, Two or Three Rounds of Voting for Mayor?

(Patria) - Today in Mostar, the continuation of the constituent session of the City Council is underway. Secret or public voting, two or three rounds of voting for the mayor, are the questions the public expects answers to.

Mostar councilors have been invited to the second round of voting for the mayor of Mostar. As stated by the President of the City Council, Ivan Zelenika, whether the voting will be secret or public, or whether the election of councilors will return to the beginning, will be decided by the councilors.

Or in other words, the OHR's decision is currently considered a recommendation, the letter sent today by representatives of the international community - OHR, OSCE, EU delegation, US Embassy, and the United Kingdom - as an opinion, and not as an annulment of the City Council's decision.

Zelenika adds that the agenda could include a request to annul the conclusions on public voting, after which Article 36 of the Statute, which mandates secret voting, would remain in effect. If that happens, a committee for elections and appointments will have to be formed, and then everything starts over. On the other hand, if public voting is insisted upon in the future, amendments to the Statute will be necessary.

The convening of an emergency session, at which councilors should adopt amendments to the Statute as well as a decision on the temporary financing of the city, was officially requested by the SDP Councilors' Club, but there was no support for this proposal.

The Coalition for Mostar confirmed that they will attend the City Council session. They respect the OHR's stance, although they express doubts about the manner in which the letter was written. They believe that behind it is an agreement with the BH Bloc, as well as double standards, because the High Representative, as they say, apparently does not care that the president and mayor are currently from the same ethnic group, which is contrary to the Statute.