Representatives of the “Youth Centre” Bugojno Association officially submitted to the Municipality of Bugojno a petition signed by citizens calling for the urgent announcement and holding of elections for local community councils. The signatures, collected during street outreach activities aimed at informing citizens, were addressed to the Chair of the Bugojno Municipal Council, Igor Vrljić, and the Municipal Council Collegium.
During the outreach activities held at Sultan Ahmed Street Square and in front of Bugojno Gymnasium, citizens expressed their support for the initiative, clearly stating that they want to restore direct democracy and have the opportunity, after nine years, to once again elect their representatives at the lowest level of local government.
The Youth Centre Bugojno reminds that elections for local community councils in the municipality have not been held since 2017, meaning that citizens have been denied, for years, the opportunity to directly participate in electing representatives who should represent the interests of their neighbourhoods and take part in decisions affecting their everyday lives.
In the letter submitted along with the collected signatures, the Chair of the Municipal Council, Igor Vrljić, and the Municipal Council Collegium were asked to take concrete institutional action:
- Initiate the procedure for adopting a decision to announce and hold elections for local community councils;
- Include this issue on the agenda of the upcoming session of the Bugojno Municipal Council;
- Set clear deadlines and define the next steps to ensure that the elections are finally held.
“The signatures we collected are a clear indication of the will and interest of the citizens of Bugojno. Local communities are the foundation of citizen participation in government, while the absence of legitimately elected councils represents a long-standing problem that must be urgently addressed.
We expect the Municipal Council Collegium and its Chair to respect the voice of citizens and initiate the necessary procedures,” the Youth Centre Bugojno said.The Youth Centre Bugojno has also officially informed the Mayor of Bugojno, Edin Mašić, about the activities carried out and the submission of the signatures, calling on the executive authorities to support the process within their respective competences.
