EQUALITIES AT LEGAL MINIMUM

WRITES: Milkica Milojevic

The strongest politic parties in Republic of Srpska strive to show themselves as tolerant and "gender sensible" in order to attract voters, especially abstainers. Three leader parties in this entity with proud point out that for Mayer's function in 63 municipalities of Srpska and four municipalities in Federation BiH ran in total 14 women.

Central election commission BiH confirmed that ran about 30 000 candidates for board member and Mayer's functions in 140 municipalities, then in Mostar, Banja Luka, and Brcko District until legal expiry. How many women candidates among them we will find out in a few days. Procedure of imput of lists and checking of candidates is on going. After that, pretenders for local government will get deadline from 48 hours for correction eventual lacks, and after that confirmed lists of candidates and female candidates will be available to the public. One is sure, the parties and coalitions ran (at least) third of persons female at lists for board members, because, Election law BiH is obligated them on that. Central election commission showed in previous election processes that it is ready to sanction those who do not respect this regulation.

Women symbolically represented in race for Mayer

Statistics show that politic in BiH still very popular activity. For upcoming election ran in total 80 politic parties, 239 independent candidates, 34 candidates for participating at elections for representatives national minorities, 41 coalitions, and 20 lists of independent candidates.

Although, pre-election campaign officially still isn't started, the most respectable parties hurried to represent their strongest trumps. Female names are very rare among them.

Anyway, the strongest parties in Republic of Srpska strive to show themselves in public as tolerant and "gender sensible" in order to attract voters. Three leader parties in this entity with proud point out that for Mayer's functions in 63 municipalities of Srpska and four municipalities in Federation BiH ran in total 14 women.

-Women especially manage in politic at local level, but that doesn't mean that they aren't capable for leading politic functions at higher level, too - Gavrilo Antonic executive director of Party democratic progress  estimated recently.

In Ivanic's party is praised that they ran women as holder of lists in few municipalities, and that they have even three female candidates for female Mayer. Honestly, the case is about small municipalities with modest budgets.

Mlađenka Dragaš is female candidate for Mayer's function in East Old Town, Nada Badnjar in East Ilidža, and Dara Ikonić female candidate from PDP for female Mayer of Rogatica.

Leading SNSD hung up candidate for Mayer's function in all municipalities Republic of Srpska, then in few municipalities of Federation BiH. There are eight women from 70 Mayer's candidates, and that gladly is pointed out in Dodik's party as a proof that they have high grade politic women and avant-garde management who do not slave to prejudice.

-That is the best proof of our professional work and tolerant atmosphere in the party - Rajko Vasic executive secretary of SNSD states that.

Still, similar scenario like that in PDP is repeated. People from SNSD ran men for Mayer in the most important centers of power, such as Banja Luka, Laktasi, Trebinje, Doboj, Bijeljina, Zvornik, Prijedor, and Gradiska. It is given opportunity to women in municipalities in which, if they would be elected, they have to fight with poverty, undeveloped infrastructure, refugee's and returnee's problems.

The exception is, maybe, only candidature of Snjezana Railic, female Member of BH Parliament who won the biggest number of voices at the last election. This already experienced and exceptionally stubborn politic woman has real chances to win Mayer's mandate in Novi Grad.

-Motto of my campaign will be "Let's renew Novi" and that invitation refers to all citizens ready for changes, no matter on their party's membership - Snjezana Railic said for "Lara online".

This politic woman is ready as at previous election to finance her pre-election campaign with own money. She will invest her three Member of Parliament's salaries in fight for Mayer's armchair.

Anka Papak Dodig and Drena Kuridza actual female Mayer of Drvar and Ostra Luka also have good chances for wining of new mandate.

Other female candidates of SNSD, Dragica Todorovic in Nevesinje, Mila Petkovic in Ustipraca, Milena Komlenovic in Kalinovik, Biljana Saravija in Novo Sarajevo, and Slavica Bjeljac for Krupa na Uni, according estimation politic analysts they can not be considered as favorite.

There is the biggest number of women in SNSD, female candidates for female Mayer, because are respected so- called quotas inside of party. Women and young people must be represented per 30% in governing party's bodies, according Statute in SNSD. Sanja Topic, political analyst comments: - That gave results at the end, although, we must admit that the most often are chosen and nominated young women in party's bodies, in order to satisfy  with one move two quotas .

Women - rescue for SDS

 Even SDS which is traditionally disposed opened door for serious engagement of women in local politic. They ordered from this party that three female candidates for Mayer positions just beginning of the story, and that they will give chance to bigger number of women at candidate's lists.

SDS runs Radmila Trbojevic for Mayer's position in Banja Luka, Radenka Srndovic in Foca, and Branka Jacimovic in Bosanski Brod.

A lot of analysts see proof that leading party some time fights with serious personnel problems in this although symbolic running of women for local government position.

-SDS has got serious interior and personnel problems, therefore running of women imposed as Solomon's solution. This is one kind of step foreward, because, SDS is patriarchal conservative party, but there it can't be word about trend or some more important change of politic. Hat is off to female candidates of SDS, but it is imposed the question, where were female activists of SDS while this party was the strongest in Republic of Srpska - Mr. Tanja Topic is wondered.

Candidature of Radmila Trbojevic, female interpreter and female writer, who is more famous to politic public as wife of ex vice-president Government RS and minister of justice, Milan Trbojevic provoked the biggest attraction.  This energetic lady presented recently her ambitious plan of rebirth Banja Luka, who is ready to lead that plan in case that she would be chosen. She ordered that she count on voices of urban citizens, educated people, women, and abstinent.

Although, in SDS self-confidently point out that their female candidate will be "the first female Mayer in history of Banja Luka" the small possibility is that is really going to happen. Candidate of SNSD actual Banja Luka's Mayer Dragoljub Davidovic, according estimation of experts political landscapes he belongs among the most convincing favorites in upcoming election race in whole BiH.

Last local election showed that SDS same like other parties in Banja Luka for years does not have personality among their personnel who would be serious rival to Davidovic, when this party runs for Mayer, Ljubisa Buca Kragulj controversial director of local "Big" radio.

Without political skills

Leading parties in Federation BiH haven't discovered any serious trump among women candidates for leading position at upcoming election so far.  

Running of Lidija Korac ex female president of Central election commission BiH, actual female director of "Oslobodjene", who will be holder of SDP list in Sarajevo's municipality Centar, provoked the most attention in public of this entity. SDP has got one more female list holder in the capital of BiH. That is dr Tatjana Ljujic Mijatovic, female professor at Agricultural nutritional faculty of Sarajevo's University who run in Novo Sarajevo.  

Medias broadcasted that HDZ BiH ran two women for Mayer of municipalities: Zdenka DZambas in Novi Travnik, and Dragana Galic in Fojnica.

Mr Uma Isic is female candidate from Party for BiH for Mayer's function in Maglaj, ex female president of municipality's election commission, and female professor in Secondary school.

Female karatist Arnela Odzakovic, who is considered as the best sportswoman in BiH is a female candidate of SDA, but only for board member's function in municipality Novo Sarajevo.

It is interesting that the leading parties in Federation BiH did not run any woman for female Mayer in eight Sarajevo's municipalities, and in Mostar town.  

Sanela Pasic economist, female activist of Helsinki parliament of citizens is a female candidate for board member in town Banja Luka at common list of SDA and Party for BiH, but she isn't holder of list - she ran at position number 2.

Sanja Topic states: "There is not essential difference in party's gender politic two entities, although, at the first view seems that parties in RS have more confidence in women, and that they more often nominate them."

Mr Sanja Topic comments: "Women the most often are run for female board member, so, if they would be chosen they will not make decisions about money, nor they will have some more important power. Women ran for Mayer's positions by rule in small and poor areas or municipalities and towns where they and their parties do not have almost any chance for wining. So, women still fill in lists, and the power is stayed in hands of politic men."

Memnuna Nuna Zvizdic, female director of NGO "Zene zenama" from Sarajevo considers that such relation of power at candidate's lists is logical consequence women's marginal influence in political parties. As a female trainer in program of political strengthening women, she visited whole BiH trying to learn local politic women in all more important parties about skills which necessary for successful politic activity. She confirms that big majority of women who engaged in parties completely unready for going into politic.

Memnuna Zvizdic says: "Already experienced women are the exception, but there are a small number of them. Unfortunately, they did not transfer their knowledge, so that 90% party's female activists among who they also ran at the lists for local elections, do not know either laws or institutions, either methods of political activity, or even problems in their local communities."

Nuna confirms that such unready politic women become tool in men hands, leaders of parties.

Memnuna Zvizdic evaluate: "They are not ready to go out from model party's discipline without attitude and self-confidence. Their most often answer on question what motivated them to run at election was "to replace those who at the power today". They have not vision what do if they come at the power. Although, they want more working places and better condition for education of their children, they do not have visualization how they can fight for those aims through political engagement."

That's way, female director of NGO "Zene zenama" consider that nongovernmental organizations must do on change relations inside political parties, and special attention devote to sensitivities of men in parties for gender equalities in political life.  Anyway, obligatorily running 30% of women at candidate's lists will stay just pure form without contents, and real women influence in politic still will be minor.