Srebrenica boycott at a crossroads: Will all Bosniaks (not) refuse mandates?

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - According to initial unofficial election results in Srebrenica, despite the boycott, Bosniaks could win between six and eight mandates. Of these, all mandates except one belong to the "My Address Srebrenica" coalition. The DF also crossed the election threshold. The "My Address Srebrenica" coalition won 2,019 votes, while the DF won 210. What is evident is that the election boycott had the biggest impact on the SDP's results in the town itself, which, after the affair with Bego Bektić, was left with only 88 votes. In the annulled elections, the SDP was vying for two mandates. 

Such a result is a consequence of the fact that the boycott exclusively applied to people living in Srebrenica, while the election results included votes from polling stations in the FBiH and postal votes, which were not annulled. According to well-informed sources from Srebrenica, Bosniaks lost about 1,000 votes due to the boycott, and "My Address Srebrenica" could have been the political entity with the most votes. Election turnout analyses indicate that slightly over 200 Bosniaks voted at regular polling stations in Srebrenica. Some of them are certainly those who work in municipal institutions, and some told Patria that they decided to vote because they received no clarification on the post-election plan.

-    We are now awaiting the outcome of the appeal we sent to the Constitutional Court; the elections in Srebrenica should be annulled in their entirety. We plan to discuss with higher levels of government, engage the international community, and finally create a situation to stop the discrimination against Bosniaks, said Alija Tabaković, who, according to current data, won 2,433 votes in the race for mayor. 

Despite the boycott, 227 people voted for Tabaković at polling stations in Srebrenica. Tabaković, along with Ćamil Duraković and Sadik Ahmetović, was the initiator of the boycott decision. He disagrees with the assertion that only people living in Srebrenica were deprived of their vote, as the agreement was not to accept the won mandates. Ćamil Duraković, who won the most votes on the "My Address Srebrenica" list, has already announced his withdrawal from the mandate. However, there are disagreements within the list, which Zulfo Salihović from SDA spoke about quite openly.

-    That still needs to be discussed. I objected to things being rushed. In this way, only the people of Srebrenica, those living in this town, bear the burden of everything. If there is no broader consensus, I will take the mandate, because if six or seven of us councilors in Srebrenica cannot influence the better lives of Bosniaks, then the logical question is what can five or six Bosniaks in the NSRS and the Council of Peoples of RS do. Believe me, I am already thinking about gathering a critical mass of people in Srebrenica who think for themselves and will oppose the imposition of decisions by individuals, Salihović told us.

He believes that the SDA bodies should also express their opinion on the matter, and that the list should assess what is best to do at this moment. He dislikes that one policy is being imposed in Srebrenica, while just ten kilometers away in Bratunac, Bosniaks are forming a coalition with SNSD.

Salko Tursunović from SBiH, who also won a mandate, believes that everything needs careful consideration. He returned to Srebrenica from the USA.

-    I haven't decided what I will do yet. I think we must fight for our rights, and part of that fight takes place in the council seats. We need to sit down and see what our plan is if the appeal to the Constitutional Court fails. If we only refuse mandates, which would establish a single-ethnic government in Srebrenica, we won't achieve much, Tursunović said.

For Tabaković, such considerations are a surprise because, as he claims, everyone on the list supported the decision to boycott the elections. He, Ahmetović, and Duraković face the difficult task of convincing first the people of Srebrenica, and then the public, that the election boycott is not primarily a result of their desire to avoid responsibility for another electoral failure in this town. Otherwise, disagreements will deepen, and mutual accusations will become louder. Fingers will again be pointed at whose family is, or is not, in Srebrenica, whether councilors from Srebrenica should be followed by representatives in the institutions of RS, who daily point out that Bosniaks are discriminated against throughout its territory.