Vice President of ALDE member Nasa Stranka Srdjan Mandic has been elected the new municipal mayor of the Sarajevo Center Municipality, defeating the sitting mayor by an overwhelming majority of votes as voters in Bosnia and Herzegovina took part in local elections on 15 November.

These elections, seen as an indicator for the next parliamentary elections in 2022, ruling parties lost mayorships in a lot of big cities and municipalities and the coalition in which Nasa Stranka was part of in these elections picked up the most mayoral positions in the region of the Sarajevo Canton.

“This was a lot more than a local election,” said Nasa Stranka leader Predrag Kojović. “In Sarajevo, it was a referendum on what kind of country we want to live in. The vast majority of Sarajevans have said loudly and clearly that they do not want to live in a society in which it acceptable to be put in sheepfolds of ethnic division, but that they want to people to be judged by the qualities of character and professional capabilities.”

Mr Mandic said this was one of the hostile local election campaigns in the country’s democratic history, but remarked that citizens did not fall for it, and despite the nasty attacks against him and his partners, he will try to be the best mayor all the citizens, without discrimination.

Glasovi se još uvijek broje, ali je sigurno da podrška ideji drugačije Bosne i Hercegovine ne staje. Hvala za povjerenje koje nam iznova pružate. #POSPREMANJE je u zraku! pic.twitter.com/xkNMXIkfSg

— Naša stranka (@NasaStrankaBiH) November 16, 2020

.@PedjaKojovic: Izuzetno je važno da na ovim izborima izlaznost bude što veća i da i oni koji nikada nisu glasali, ovaj put to urade. Ako vi tako odlučite u nedjelju, ovo će biti novi početak za Bosnu i Hercegovinu. pic.twitter.com/UKsW9HDc46

— Naša stranka (@NasaStrankaBiH) November 13, 2020