Why did the Municipal Organization of SDP BiH Hadžići support the compromised candidate of BPS, Muharem Fišo?

Due to the extremely complex social and economic situation in the municipality of Hadžići, the Municipal Organization of SDP BiH Hadžići, in accordance with the conclusions of the Main Board of SDP BIH, has advocated from the very beginning for the unification of political options of civic orientation.

- Fully aware of the strength of political parties in our municipality, we concluded that only with a joint candidate for mayor can and must we consolidate the voter base, and thus change the extremely difficult situation in the municipality of Hadžići. For SDP in Hadžići, this is more than an election because we want to change the existing state of affairs, and due to the disinformation spread by certain political entities in the local public, we want to inform the citizens of the municipality of Hadžići on this occasion that the Municipal Organization of SDP BiH Hadžići, in accordance with the agreement and due to all of the above, is supporting candidate Muharem Fišo (BPS) – it was announced from OO SDP Hadžići.

This news spread through Hadžići today, as the Fišo's malversations are still being discussed in this Municipality since he was the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in the KS Government, siphoning money from the budget for the needs of Sefer Halilović's BPS party. Fišo continued the practice of the previous minister Faid Hećo (BPS) from 2013 and 2014, allocating 400,000 KM to the Pravednost Foundation, founded by Semir Halilović, son of Sefer Halilović and a representative in the KS Assembly, in 2015 and 2016.

In four years, this BPS Foundation, located at the same address as the party, received 800,000 KM from the KS Budget. The money, which was supposed to go towards providing legal assistance to suspected and accused former members of the Army of RBiH in war crimes cases, was mostly used for the purchase of documents, audio and visual materials, creation of documents, and other materials related to the war.

And from each tranche they received, the Foundation had a budget of 40,000 KM for employee costs. Minister Fišo never responded to the official inquiry from the news agency Patria asking whether the funds previously allocated by the Ministry to the Foundation for the Protection of Historical Facts "Pravednost" Sarajevo were controlled and whether the funds were spent purposefully.

Mirsad Dupovac, president of the Municipal Board of SDP BiH Hadžići, emphasized that in accordance with the decision of the Main Board, they received authorization as a Municipal Organization to choose a joint candidate with pro-civic parties in order to more strongly and adequately oppose those individuals who have been ruling in a municipality for a long time, as is the case with Hamdo Ejubović (SDA), who first took office in October 2004.

Dupovac admitted that they are aware of Fišo's malversations, but that they have never seen concrete evidence (!?). Incidentally, DF also has its candidate in this Municipality, Vesna Domuz.

We had negotiations and were ready to support her too, but we disagreed on some points, because in our search for a joint candidate, we were looking for an adequate name that could challenge Ejubović, but she did not want to give up her candidacy. She even sent her candidacy to the DF Headquarters before the final agreement – stated Dupovac.

He also said that SDU gave support to Fišo, but SBiH has not yet declared itself.

- Abid Šarić was supposed to be the joint candidate, but he had the condition that he be the sole opponent to Ejubović, but Domuz did not want to give up hers. Then Šarić withdrew – added Dupovac.

However, all this does not absolve the OO SDP Hadžići for supporting the compromised Fišo, as they could have put forward their own candidate.

- We desire change, and the more candidates we have, the fewer chances there are for change – stated Dupovac, without specifying whether a potentially worse solution could bring prosperity or just change.