Sarajevo Mulls Protesters’ ‘Expert Government’ Demand

The assembly on Monday will discuss the proposals put forward by the Sarajevo plenum, one of several public forums set up by protesters across the country to advance political demands arising from the recent nationwide demonstrations.

The Sarajevo plenum wants the formation of an expert government after the cantonal prime minister Suad Zeljkovic resigned amid the unrest on February 7 when government buildings were torched as the protests turned violent.

Protest gatherings continued over the weekend in Sarajevo, Zenica, Tuzla, Mostar and a few other towns.

In Zenica, a few hundred people rallied to support the demands of their local plenum, which has asked the cantonal assembly to give financial aid to civil victims of the war, former soldiers and to invalids who have lost their benefit rights in recent years.

The plenum in Tuzla over the weekend discussed possible candidates for the new local government, while in Mostar, people rallied to demand the scrapping of benefits and other payments to politicians.

In Sarajevo, well-known Croatian actor Rade Serbedzija joined protesters on the streets to show his support.

"People have the right to ask, in a peaceful way, for answers to questions from the people they have chosen [in elections]," Serbedzija said.

"This is a real people’s uprising," he said.

Meanwhile the Sarajevo interior ministry announced that it had information that groups of young people were planning to provoke protesters into attacking government buildings again, but no such incidents took place.

As well as in Sarajevo, Tuzla and Zenica, plenums have been or are being organised in the towns of Brcko, Bugojno, Fojnica, Konjic, Mostar, Orasje and Travnik.

Most have similar goals ...

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