The fourth round of talks of nine political parties on changes to electoral regulations in the City of Mostar resumed on Thursday. Political representatives agreed on two models of electing the councillors in six constituencies for the City Council of Mostar.

The local elections in the City of Mostar were last held in 2008. Two years later, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina acted upon a motion of Croat representatives in the state Parliament, assessing as unconstitutional parts of the Bosnia’s Election Law which refer to the City of Mostar. The court tasked the state Parliament in 2010 to amend the Election Law regarding the provisions which treat the electoral rules in that city. Until today, it did not happen.  

Participants of the Thursday’s meeting defined two models of election of councillors in six constituencies of the City of Mostar as well as the matter of voters in the central zone. All parties that take part in the talks should harmonize their stances by the next meeting.  

The President of the Mostar Board of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) Salem Maric said after the Thursday’s meeting that the agreement on models of electing the councillors was a matter of mathematics but that changes to the Statute, referring to the changes to the electoral procedures, remained open.  

The leader of the Mostar Board of the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) Damir Dzeba noted that the progress in negotiations was reached because they discussed only the implementation of the Constitutional Court’s decision.  

“That led us one step closer to the models and the compromise, and to what we all were talking about, which is that the elections are not held because two provisions of the Election Law were suspended…,” Dzeba underlined.