Increasement of Transparency of the Work
of Local Parliaments in BiH
Duration of the case: 3 years (February 2002 – February 2005)
Prepared by: Dalida Demirović
Centers for Civic Initiatives, Bosnia and Herzegovina
May 2005
Abstract
After many years of work in communities all over BiH, CCI became aware of the great need for
increasement of transparency of the work of local parliaments in BiH and for strengthening of the
cooperation between citizens and local authorities. The work of the authorities at the local level
was closed for the public, the passed decisions were often not implemented, and the councillors
have seldom communicated with citizens. In 10 regions of BiH CCI has engaged coordinators
who have worked with the local authorities, but also at the same time with the citizens. They were
creating a two-way communication at the relation citizens-councillors. The accountability of local
authorities has become public and that has altered the former situation when councillors were often
¨hiding¨ behind the parliaments and at the same time representing the interests of their political
party and not of the citizens who elected them. CCI staff was present at every session of the 40
parliaments in BiH, informed the citizens, the media and the NGOs about the passed decisions. In
time the local NGOs and the local authorities engaged themselves in these activities. A vast
number of decisions which ensure the participation of citizens in the work of local authorities have
been passed thanks to our initiative. In various ways we have also insisted and constantly
reminded the authorities about the obligations regarding the transparency of the work of the
authorities which is defined by the law. During the period of three years CCI has made the work of
40 parliaments in BiH transparent but we have also conveyed the responsibility for it to the local
authorities and citizens.
Background
During the period of February 2002 – February 2005 in Centers for Civic Initiatives (CCI),within
the project `Municipal Parliaments in BiH`, by the financial support of NOVIB and NED, we
have worked on the increasment of transparency of the work of municipal parliaments, as well as
on the initiation and development of a better cooperation between the citizens and their elected
representatives.
Citizens who were poorly informed about the work of their local authorities, distrusted these
authorities. They felt as being isolated in their community with an expressive sense that the
authority lies in the hands of individuals or political parties who represent their own interests
regardless of the interests and needs of the people of that very community. The work of the
authorities seemed as ineffective and closed for the public, while the media, in most cases, have
very scarcely monitored their work. They did it mostly because of the obligation they have as one
of the budget beneficiaries but by doing so, they were not informing about relevant information
about the work of the authorities. They were merely informing the citizens that a certain activity is
being conducted by the authority. The informing of citizens about the work of the authorities and
moreover the informing of the authorities about the interests of the citizens has proved as a way of
establishing a dialogue which followed in the form of round tables, seminars, public meetings.
That was an opportunity to start a cooperation or even education but also an opportunity to
establish a communication practice which was later on continuosly conducted. The opening-up of
the council doors to the citizens actuated them to active participation in public discussions,
commissions but also at the councils` sessions. The systematic input of this practice in the rules of
order of the councils has ensured the opportunity for the citizens to influence the making of all the
essential decisions in their community. The transparency of the municipal parliaments has led to a
more efficient work of the councillors and to a better understanding of their work by the citizens as
well as by the local NGOs and by the media. The activities were conducted in 40 municipalities in
BiH which differ in many ways but our approach and the methodology of work was the same or
very similar in each one of them.
About the organization
The Centres for Civic Initiatives is BiH non-governmental, non-profit and non-partisan
organisation that works on development of civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mission
of the Centres for Civic Initiatives is to promote and encourage active participation of citizens in
democratic processes and to strengthen the capacities of organisations and individuals in order to
be able to solve the problems in the communities throughout BiH more successfully.
All information regarding contact persons of CCI, the projects implemented or the current ones,
researches, and other interesting information you can find on the web site www.ccibh.org
Objctives
In order to respond to the problem of insufficient cooperation between the councillors and the
citizens, CCI has set the following objectives:
- to improve the awareness of citizens about the work of municipal parliaments in BiH
- to establish, develop and maintain the interactive communication between the citizens and
the elected representatives-councillors.
- to strengthen the influence of citizens on the decision making process at the local level
- to increase the transparency of the work of the municipal parliaments in both entities of
BiH
Methodology
The recommendation was to implement this project also in other municipalities of BiH with the
same methodology and approach. The advancement in the aforementioned municipalities should
be achieved through:
1. Monitoring of Implementation of Passed Decisions. The passed decisions are often
excellent but the manner in which they are implemented is inconsistent, and in some cases
it does not follow the time limit defined by the law so that such a decision does not make
any sense or even becomes irrelevant.
2. Work Continuity. The work continuity is very important but the local elections in BiH are
every four years and with every new council new people who are not acquainted with the
former practices are appointed. Those activities which ensure the participation of citizens
in the work of the councils should be regulated by the standing orders of the councils. They
should be an obligation which is to be regulated through systematic solutions such as by
law or by internal acts of the councils.
3. Publicity of the Commissions` Work. The councils` commissions are the best place for
the citizens where they can influence a decision before it is passed, and therefore the work
of the commissions should be made public by establishing a practice of public hearings
where issues which concern a greater number of citizens as well as those which concern the
citizens` participation in the work of the authorities can be discussed.
4. Establishment of Criteria. Having clear-cut criteria about the work of the council means
having definite goals and that is why criteria regarding the issues of allocation of the
budget resources, the making of regulatory plans, the formation of local communities`
councils, the election of the members of the councils` commissions, the election of the
Board of Directors of public institutions and other issues regarding the councils` work and
jurisdiction should be established .
5. Education of Councillors. The education of councillors should be conducted in a manner
regarding all moral and ethical responsibilities of the councillors ( e.g. the importance of
submitting the budget, issues regarding the representation of citizens` interests, the role and
the importance of NGOs in the society ).*
Implemented activities/Results
 Monitoring of Councils` Sessions
The monitoring of the councils` sessions had the aim of providing the citizens with information
about the work of their municipal council and about the conclusions and decisions that have been
passed. By monitoring the council`s sessions we have increased the level of transparency of
municipal parliaments and at several occasions we have animated the representatives of local
NGOs to attend the councils` sessions. In 33 out of 40 municipalities we have managed to, partly
or entirely, convey this activity to local people from either the NGO sector or the municipal
administration.
During the aforementioned period CCI staff was present at 282 municipal councils`sessions.
 Informative and Educational Materials
After each councils` session, materials have been printed through which the citizens have been
timely and in an interesting manner informed about the work of their local parliaments. The
informative materials include the following: three kinds of posters (yellow and blue ones – before
and after the session, the significance and the time schedule of public discussions ), four kinds of
leaflets ( after the session, leaflets with councillors` questions, leaflets for public discussions and
leaflets with the election results).
Posters:
*
Through the projects ¨ The Responsible Councillor¨ and ¨Monitoring of Implementation of Local Policies¨ CCI
works to implement these recommendations
As a session announcement, before each municipal council`s session yellow posters with the title
¨Do we know...?“ have been printed. They comprised the session`s agenda, the time and the place
of holding of the session and the information for the citizens that if they submit a written notice,
they can be present at the session. During the past period 5.506 copies of yellow posters have been
printed and distributed in 40 municipalities. The materials that have been printed after the sessions
were blue posters with the title ¨Do we know...?¨ through which the citizens were informed about
the decisions and the conclusions passed by their elected representatives. In addition the posters
comprised a record of the attendance of the councillors as well as of others who were mainly
guests. Besides the information that the posters provide, they also represent a stimulus for the
citizens to get interested in the work of their local parliament.
Other NGOs, representatives of local communities and Municipal Departments for General
Government are actively involved in the distribution of the materials. During the past period 6.434
copies of blue posters have been printed and distributed in 40 municipalities.
Leaflets:
The informative leaflets supply the citizens with the information about what took place at the
session, who was present as well as a brief comment and the passed decisions. The informative
leaflets for the citizens as well as the posters also comprise the councils` contact information (
telephone number, e-mail...). During the past period 165.870 copies of informative leaflets have
been distributed in 40 municipalities. We have introduced the leaflet with the councillors`
questions because of the need for the citizens to be supplied with answers to raised questions.
During this period 1.000 copies of leaflets with the councillors` questions have been printed and
they have been distributed to civil groups that raised the councillors` question as well as to other
interested citizens and NGOs.
In all of the 40 municipalities we have compiled a leaflet with the election results which comprises
the number of votes that each party has received on local elections as well as the number of votes
that each of the candidates for the position of the mayor has received. The names of all the
councillors whose mandate has been verified by the electoral commission are also highlighted in
this leaflet. 35.000 copies of these leaflets have been distributed in 40 municipalities in BiH.
 Transfer of Responsibility
Following the practice of systematic solving of shortcomings in the cooperation between citizens
and the elected representatives, we continued to initiate the passing of decisions regarding
individual questions.
The municipal council`s decision represents an act of executing the law and the duties of the
council. After the decision has been passed by the municipal parliament it becomes binding for the
authority it refers to.
In 13 municipalities decisions on obligatory holding of public discussions have been passed.
According to these decisions municipal authorities are obliged to present to citizens all decisions
of social significance and to get their oppinion and suggestions before passing the decision.
In 3 municipalities decisions on the allocation of budget resources for the work of NGOs have
been passed, by which the criteria and the manner of the allocation of budget resources to the
NGOs are defined.
In 8 municipalities the initiative for opening of an office for regular communication between the
citizens and the councillors has been supported.
In 8 municipalities decisions have been passed which oblige the local radio and TV stations,
which are the beneficiaries of the municipal budget, to broadcast the councils` sessions, the
sessions` resume, the councillors` questions and the press conferences after the session.
16 municipalities in which the project has been implemented undertook the commitment to inform
the citizens through informative leaflets, posters, and municipal bulletins about the conclusions
and the decisions passed at sessions. Moreover public relations officers have been employed in 34
municipalities and their task is to monitor the work of the municipal council and to inform the
public about it. 30 out of 40 municipalities now have a web site where all information regarding
the work of the municipal authorities are accessible to citizens. Most of these web pages also
contain information about the work of CCI.
Contacts information
This case has been prepared by Dalida Demirović, Project Coordinator in Centers for Civic
Initiatives. If you have any questions or comments please contact:
Dalida Demirović
Kalajdžićeva 4, 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina
Tel.: 00 387 36 580 553
Mob.: 00 387 61 848 895
e-mail: dalidad@ccibh.org
web: www.ccibh.org