On February 15, 2023, the mayor of Čapljina, Smiljan Vidić, amended the Rulebook on the internal organization of the services of the City of Čapljina, and supplemented the staffing plan of the city of Čapljina by canceling the “economics profession” and adding “political science”.
A year later (Official Gazette of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, number: 15/24 of 23.02.2024) the City of Čapljina announces a vacancy for the assistant to the manager of the civil service authority – Service for Social Affairs – 1 employee, and then it will become clear that it is certain how changed the rulebook because of his close associate.
Close associate, and also the president of the City Election Commission
Namely, as we have learned, Matea Vidić, who is also the president of the City Election Commission, has applied for the position. Remarkably, young Vidić holds a degree in political science and fulfills all the requirements for this role. The Civil Service Agency has already received complaints regarding this recruitment.
The opposition member, Pero Previšić, when questioned about the reason for the change in the Rulebook on internal organization, stated that it is exceedingly difficult to ascertain and keep track of background of all the individuals whom the authorities intend to appoint, and that information regarding the modification of the rulebook was not made available to the councilors at the time of its revision. Additionally, it should be noted that Matea Vidić, formerly known as Matea Jurica, currently serves as the closest associate of Mayor Vidić. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the minister appointed by Čapljina, as well as the newly elected president of City Board Čapljina, are relatives of hers.
We have reached out to the city of Čapljina regarding the appointment of the head of the service for social affairs. They have clarified that the rulebook was not amended due to Matea Vidić, who is a political scientist, but rather because the profession of political scientist is deemed more suitable for social affairs.
“It is accurate that we revised the rulebook governing the internal organization of all departments within the city of Čapljina, including the Service for Social Affairs. During this revision, we transitioned from the economic profession to the field of political science, which we deemed a more suitable choice for the aforementioned service. Therefore, there was no preferential treatment given to any individual. Notably, Matea Vidić achieved a perfect score of 120 out of 120 on both the written and oral examinations conducted by the FBiH Civil Service Agency. Matea Vidić satisfies all the requirements of the vacancy”, read the response from the City of Čapljina.
Furthermore, they have also provided a photo of the scoring.
The Civil Service Agency confirms that the competition is currently in the phase of determining the list of successful candidates.
“Dear Sir/Madam, in response to your inquiry regarding the public vacancy for the position of a managing civil servant: Assistant to the Head of the Civil Service Authority – Service for Social Affairs – 1 (one) employee in the City of Čapljina, we would like to provide you with the following information: The Civil Service Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, upon the request of the City of Čapljina, has published a vacancy tender to fill the aforementioned senior civil servant position. Seven candidates applied for this vacancy. Among them, two candidates took the professional exam for the position, both of whom passed and subsequently submitted evidence of meeting the vacancy conditions within the prescribed period. As of now, the public vacancy has not concluded; it is currently in the phase of determining the list of successful candidates”, read the response from the Civil Service Agency.
It is indeed intriguing that mayors possess the discretion to appoint individuals as they see fit.
The body responsible for the vacancy, the Civil Service Agency, lacks the authority to scrutinize regulatory changes made prior to position appointments or to dictate conditions for positions outlined in the Rulebook on Internal Organization. This grants mayors considerable leeway in their decisions.
“The Law on Civil Service in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, numbers 29/03, 23/04, 39/04, 54/04, 67/05, 8/06, 4/12, 99/15, and 9/17 –the Judgment of the Constitutional Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina number: U-13/16) clearly delineates the powers of the Civil Service Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In response to your query regarding the amendment of the Rulebook, it's important to note that the Agency lacks the authority to review or influence it. Furthermore, it cannot dictate the decisions of mayors regarding position appointments or prescribe conditions for positions outlined in the Rulebook on Internal Organization”, said the Civil Service Agency.
Economics profession abandoned by Čapljina, but added by Mostar
Interestingly, this competition bears a striking resemblance to one previously advertised by the City of Mostar for the position of Head of General Administration and Fire-Fighting Department. Initially announced on April 7, 2023, the vacancy was subsequently canceled at the request of the City of Mostar. The city cited emerging circumstances necessitating changes to the Rulebook on the internal organization of the city administration, which could significantly impact the content of the public vacancy.
Following these developments, the 32nd session of the City Council of Mostar was convened on April 27, during which the 11th item on the agenda addressed amendments to the rulebook on the internal organization of the City Administration of the City of Mostar. Specifically, Article 1 was amended to include an economic profession alongside the administrative profession for the function of the head of the Department for Organization, Legal Affairs, General Administration, Civil Protection, and Fire-Fighting of the City of Mostar. Subsequently, the vacancy was announced once again, and Slaviša Kovačević, the husband of a city hall official, emerged as a successful candidate.
