SARAJEVO, 29. MAJA (ONASA) – A group of councilors in the Stari Grad Sarajevo Municipal Council today submitted an initiative to initiate the impeachment of Mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić.
Although 11 municipal councilors were enough to submit the initiative, the initiative was signed by even more than two thirds, or 23 councilors.
At the first following session, the councilors should express their opinion on this initiative, and judging by the number of signed councilors, it should be adopted.
“The number of signed councilors in itself shows that there is a very clear sentiment that as representatives of the citizens we want to enable the citizens to choose in a referendum whether they want the mayor to continue leading the Municipality of Stari Grad Sarajevo or whether they want early elections,” said Vedad Deljković, a councilor who started collecting signatures for the recall.
Deljković points out that everyone is innocent until the court and the prosecution prove otherwise, however, he believes that the municipality and citizens should not be hostages of anyone’s court proceedings and that citizens must have the opportunity to express their opinion.
If the initiative is accepted, the Municipal Council will, within 30 days, adopt a decision on the impeachment motion and appoint a Commission that will organize a referendum where citizens will vote on the mayor’s impeachment.
In order for the mayor to be impeached, it is necessary that more than 50 percent of the citizens who went to the referendum vote for the impeachment of the mayor.
If citizens vote for recall, the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina will organize early elections for the mayor of the municipality within 60 days.