On 3 March 2021, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities organised an online event on deliberative democracy with the newly elected Mayor and local councillors of the City of Mostar.

Stewart Dickson (ILDG, United Kingdom), Congress Spokesperson on the Observation of Local and Regional Elections participated in the event and stressed the importance of deliberative processes as “a complementary mechanism to listen to the voice of ordinary citizens and thereby build their trust towards their elected representatives”. He stressed the Congress commitment to support and encourage the municipal authorities in this important work.

The Mayor of Mostar, Mario Kordić, welcomed the Council of Europe initiative and support and stated they were looking forward to “working ahead towards a deliberative process”.

Salem Marić, President of the City Council stated that “The City Council has a good capacity to work on the improvement of co-operation with citizens, including their direct involvement in the work of municipal authorities”, while expressing his appreciation for Congress efforts.The event was attended by 24 local councillors, representing two thirds of the City Council and all political forces. It focused on the key elements that make a deliberative process, tailored to the context in Mostar- successful participants also discussed the ways in which local councillors will be involved and could contribute to upcoming stages of the deliberative process.

This event is organised in the framework of the project “Building democratic participation in the City of Mostar” within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2018-2021. The aim of the project is to create opportunities for citizens to engage in a deliberative process and increase their contribution to local decision-making. In turn, this process will foster dialogue at local level and contribute to the revitalisation of democratic processes in the City of Mostar.