Calls for change are getting louder: Is Nikšić leaving the helm of SDP?

The results of the local elections in BiH are still being tallied. However, the winners for mayors and city mayors are already known.

Dissatisfaction was evident in the SDP on election night as they lost four municipalities and cities: Gračanica, Gradačac, Maglaj, and Ključ. It is true that they managed to win the mayoral position in Donji Vakuf and Bugojno, with the note that in Bugojno, votes sent by mail are still being counted due to the narrow margin between the SDP candidate and the SDA candidate. Therefore, on election night, an unusual situation was recorded where both parties declared their candidate the winner.

The SDP once held eight mayoral positions, and after these elections, they have seven. Given that elections were not held in Jablanica due to catastrophic floods, and the mayor there is SDP's Damir Šabanović, it is questionable whether the new mayor will be from this party once the elections are held.

Although it is true that SDP BiH received a solid number of votes in nine municipalities in Sarajevo Canton, while their coalition partners Naša stranka and NIP recorded a decline, this is precisely one of the criticisms directed at the SDP leadership: that the party has become "Sarajevo-centric." Thus, the SDP in KS won two mayoral positions: a new mandate for Irfan Čengić, who himself called for changes within and at the helm of the party, and Benjamin Karić, whose campaign was led by People and Justice cadres. Karić won by a narrow margin against Muamer Bandić from SBiH, who was supported by SDA, DF, and NES.

SDP member Dragan Stevanović announced on social media today, reminding of the conclusion from the SDP Congress in June 2023, that internal party elections would follow the local elections.

"It is logical that in areas where the SDP underperformed, the current leadership should be replaced. No one is untouchable because, above all, the interest is a strong and functional SDP. In a multi-party system, elections are won or lost, and in both cases, the responsible party undergoes a reset," Stevanović wrote.

At the Congress in June 2023, at the insistence of several SDP officials, primarily Vojin Mijatović and Adnan Šteta, Nermin Nikšić's mandate was extended. Irfan Čengić, who clearly stated that he did not wish to attend a Congress convened in violation of statutes, did not attend that congress. The SDP did not perform well in Banja Luka in the recent elections either, so it is questionable how much longer Mijatović can and should manage the processes.

After winning a position as a member of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović disappeared from the party's leadership. He stopped attending party body meetings, did not interfere with staffing, but also did not consult with the party regarding some of his staffing decisions, only re-emerging just before the local elections when he invited SDP members to a gathering. Bećirović is associated with the Tuzla SDP, whose Zijad Lugavić won a new mandate as mayor of Tuzla. The SDP also retained the mayors of Goražde and Bosanska Krupa.

Zukan Helez is mentioned as the most serious candidate for the president of SDP. His base is Bugojno, and if the SDP ultimately wins the mayoral mandate there, it will be considered his success.

Čengić is also with Helez, as is a part of the Sarajevo SDP which does not have the best relations with Šteta. Therefore, the success of certain municipal organizations can only be attributed to individuals, and certainly not to the entire Cantonal Committee of the SDP.

On election night, while summarizing the election results, Nikšić stated that he would not abandon those who lost their mandates. However, the real question is who is ready to abandon Nikšić now in order for a new generation to take over the SDP.

(A. Vrabac)