Who Will Control Novi Pazar

Party of Democratic Action (SDA) headed by Sulejman Ugljanin has taken over local administration in Novi Pazar again and by the election of leading persons in the municipality made it clear who wears pants in the house: the post of the mayor was given to the former interpreter of Sulejman Ugljanin, her deputy is the former driver and bodyguard of the leader, and Ugljanin's brother is the new president of the executive board.

AIM Podgorica, October 13, 2000

(By AIM correspondent from Belgrade)

Results of the past elections in Serbia have brought the Party of Democratic Action and its leader Sulejman Ugljanin back in power in Novi Pazar, which was taken away from them two years ago by decision of the government of Serbia and by introduction of emergency measures in the municipality with the assistance of strong police and army forces. Until these elections, Pazar was ruled by cadre of Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and Yugoslav Left (JUL). Two years ago the government of Serbia reproached Ugljanin's party the insignia of SDA in the municipality and flags of Bosnia & Herzegovina, engagement of relatives for various jobs, discharging of local Serbs from prominent posts in the municipality and formation of the administration on the basis of ethnic origin.

At the recently held elections in Novi Pazar SDA has won the majority of votes of the Bosniac electorate. Out of the total number of registered voters (61,730) 33,787 or about 54.7 per cent have come to the polls. The citizens of Novi Pazar have given the largest number of their votes to the List for Sandzak of Sulejman Ugljanin which won 32 seats in the municipal assembly, while SPS-JUL has won 11, Serb Radical Party 1, Democratic Opposition of Serbia 1 and Group of Citizens 2.

Regardless of Ugljanin's success brought to him by the elections organised by majority system, there have been certain shifts in the Bosniac electorate. This time Ugljanin's party has won about 45 per cent of the votes. Although it has not won a single seat in the assembly of Pazar itself, the newly established People's Movement of Sandzak which consists of eight political parties, has won 15 per cent of the votes. And all the other parties about 40 per cent.

The latest shock was caused in the public of Novi Pazar by Ugljanin's moves and those of his party in constituting the administration of the municipal assembly and the nominated cadre. Sources close to SDA claim that during distribution of seats plenty of harsh words were exchanged by Sulejman Ugljanin and the former discharged mayor Fevzija Muric (whose term in office will be remembered among other by his employment of his own wife without a public competition). These sources claim that a physical showdown was barely evaded.

The newly elected mayor of Novi Pazar is Vasvija Gusinac, personal interpreter of Mr. Ugljanin, by profession a teacher of English. At the inauguration, Vasvija Gusinac made it clear what the policy of SDA will be like: “In the local parliament of this city we will promote the stands and the principles of my coalition and the party I belong to pursuant the law and the Constitution of the state in which we live So much for the official part, I thank and wish to thank Allah Jeleshanuh for having blessed me with such honour and with you, inshalah, to turn to prosperity, coexistence and joint future” Deputy mayor will be Nedzib Hodzic who was until recently the personal driver and bodyguard of Sulejman Ugljanin! And president of the executive board (city government) of Novi Pazar will be Sadik Ugljanin, brother of Sulejman Ugljanin.

There are indications that for the sake of peace in the house, and “cherishing the multi-ethnic principle” SDA will change the statute of Novi Pazar, and instead of one introduce two deputies of the mayor. That is how a Serb will also get a post in the municipal administration. It is assumed that that will be Filip Milovanovic from the Democratic Opposition of Serbia. According to the decision of SDA, all the members of the executive board of Novi Pazar will be on the payroll, which is a specific precedent, because nothing of the sort has ever happened in a single municipality in Serbia.

From the moment they won power, leaders of SDA started with the old political practice. The first they did was an attempted manipulation of students who had come out in the streets of Novi Pazar to protest against the election theft of votes in the presidential elections and express support to Vojislav Kostunica. Both the Serbs and the Bosniacs protested together, but soon they were joined by supporters of Sulejman Ugljanin who were carrying his pictures and flags of SDA, chanting “Allah egber” in the parts of the city populated solely by the Serb population. Among the students who, by the way, were the only ones who expressed revolt because of the election theft, behavior of supporters of SDA caused repulsion so the next day there were no demonstrations any more. Neither the Bosniacs nor the Serbs wished to participate in such single-party protests. The winning party did not join the spontaneous gathering of the citizens of Novi Pazar in the night when the regime of Slobodan Milosevic fell.

The celebration has passed, and the choice of cadre for the leading posts in Pazar is still the hit topic. Leaders of SDA are themselves surprised by it and for the time being they are silent. It remains to be seen to what extent Ugljanin's policy will meet with support and approval of the ruling DOS which Ugljanin by supporting Kostunica has called his voters from Uzice district to vote for instead of for his party.

It seems that after the changes in Serbia and present instability, Ugljanin believes noone, so he is striving to reinforce his power on the local level. The key question is certainly to what extent he will manage to preserve the recently acquired confidence of the citizens of Novi Pazar, to be extremely mild, with the frivolity and utmost privatisation of his personnel policy.

Elijas Rebronja

(AIM)