The prolonged controversy surrounding the election of the new rector of the University of Sarajevo continues. Salary payments are in question, with the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Youth of Sarajevo Canton stating they will not authorize payments without signatures from an authorized person. The validity of diplomas is also uncertain, and the promotion of graduates, master's candidates, and doctoral candidates has been postponed.

Tarik Zaimovic, the rector whose appointment was annulled by the cantonal inspectorate, claims that deans are authorized to certify employee performance and asserts:
“All UNSA salaries have been entered into the treasury system because they reflect the work achieved by employees. Let’s see which minister will dare to erase workers and withhold salaries. We will not allow politics to choose the rector or deans of UNSA. I urge you, as journalists, to defend UNSA and not allow it to become the political prey of a party that treats it as a public company where it decides who will be senators or rectors, how decisions will be made, and what the Statutes will say. That is the death of the university.”

Although political interference in academia has been a topic worthy of academic papers for the last 30 years, Zaimovic calls on journalists to defend the autonomy of the university. He highlights critical thinking as a journalistic obligation, seemingly overlooking its importance within the academic community itself, which has remained silent on crucial matters for decades. He insists that the rector election procedure was fully compliant with the law:

“UNSA made the decision to elect the rector entirely in accordance with the law. During this process, not a single error was made. I affirm this responsibly—there were no mistakes. All Senate decisions made during the two thematic Senate sessions were unanimous and supported by all Senate members,” Zaimovic said.

The university states that it will seek justice in court by initiating a lawsuit and administrative dispute. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Youth declined to comment on camera but issued a statement asserting that salaries will not be paid until valid signatures are secured. The Ministry accuses Zaimović and a few others of blocking the process:
“This blockade aims to pressure official institutions by withholding salaries from their colleagues and shifting the blame to anyone but themselves. In this blockade, they push their fellow deans to the forefront, even though they lack legally grounded authorizations. When the previous rector stepped down, all authorizations, including those for legal representation, became invalid,” the Ministry's statement reads.

The Ministry claims not only salaries but also diplomas signed by Zaimovic are in jeopardy. Students, outraged by the delays, demand their legally earned diplomas. They support the newly elected rector and accuse Minister Adna Mesihovic of promoting policies favoring private universities where she teaches. The promotion of graduates, master’s, and doctoral candidates has been postponed until February 1.

“This is Sarajevo Canton—the so-called oasis of peace, science, security, and human rights, yet its best students at UNSA are humiliated to the point where their example ends up on Vučić’s portals as some regional destabilizing factor. That’s the attitude the Ministry has toward students. For the first time in history, such things are happening, and it won’t go unanswered,” said Imran Pasalic, President of the UNSA Student Parliament.

The Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Nusret Dreskovic, claims the dispute also revolves around UNSA’s assets, pledging to defend them if necessary:
“I want to add that these pressures align with the directives of previous governments, as well as this current one in Sarajevo Canton and the City of Sarajevo. These pressures have reached a level of targeting UNSA’s assets. I personally call on all citizens, students, and academic staff to physically defend the University’s property if necessary,” he emphasized.

UNSA’s appeal to the Sarajevo Canton Assembly calls for the institutional autonomy of the university, now facing its most uncertain period since its founding, and urges the Ministry to act within the law.