It was another beautiful sunny Fall morning in Sarajevo. As I walked through Old Sarajevo en route to the heart of the city, I couldn’t help but observe more closely the melting pot of people, the storied histories, old and new, of the structures lining the walkway and the surrounding mountains with all of their beauty in the morning sun. A time for reflection of what a historic day this might be for the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I met Mirsad and his wife Mirzeta at our traditional spot of just two days near the Eternal Flame, the memorial for citizens and military members who lost their lives during WWII. We casually made our way two a very narrow side street, with the occasional stop to greet supports, and made our way to the entrance of a building. It was here that here the two of them and citizens from across Sarajevo would cast their ballots. As we entered it was dark and somewhat mysterious and uninviting. We slowly made our way to the top of a short flight stairs and then the wait began. Only two people at a time were allowed into the area where individuals would fill out their paper ballots and submit their votes. After some 30 minutes or so the two of them were allowed into the room behind closed doors. Mirsad and Mirzeta would see his name atop the list of the six presidential candidates. After another ten minutes or so the two of them came out together. We made our way down the darkened flight of stairs and out into the morning sun. A sense of relief could be seen on both of their faces. After a short TV interview we again casually strolled the pedestrian walkway from the heart of the city to Old Sarajevo, along with a film crew from Germany documenting Mirsad’s day. We couldn’t walk more than twenty yards at a time without Mirsad being stopped for a handshake and wish of good luck. Eventually we stopped at an outdoor cafe in front of a beautiful historic Catholic Church. It was here that I had an opportunity to speak with the two of them and get their first impressions of what had just transpired.
Izborni dan u Bosni i Hercegovini: Mirsad Hadžikadić čeka ishod svoje kandidature za člana predsjedništva
Bilo je to još jedno divno sunčano jesenje jutro u Sarajevu. Šetajući kroz sarajevski Stari grad ka centru grada, nisam mogao da jasno ne primijetim užurbanu gomilu ljudi, opjevanu negdašnju i sadašnju istoriju građevina uz pješačku stazu i okolne planine koje su se hvalisale svojom ljepotom okupane jutarnjim suncem. Trenutak za razmišljanje o tome kako bi ovaj dan mogao da ima istorijski značaj za državu Bosnu i Hercegovinu. S Mirsadom i njegovom suprugom Mirzetom sam se našao na mjestu gdje se nalazimo po tradiciji dugoj čitava dva dana, u blizini Vječne vatre, spomenika za građane i vojnike koji su izgubili živote tokom Drugog svjetskog rata. Lagano smo se prošetali do jedne veoma uske sporedne ulice, zastajkujući tu i tamo kako bismo pozdravili ljude koji su iskazivali podršku, nakon čega smo stigli do ulaza u jednu zgradu. Na tom mjestu će njih dvoje zajedno s brojnim Sarajlijama popuniti svoje glasačke listiće. Dok smo ulazili, zgrada je djelovala mračno, pomalo zagonetno i neprivlačno. Polako smo stigli do vrha kratkog stepeništa, a onda je uslijedilo čekanje. Samo dvoje ljudi je istovremeno moglo da uđe u prostoriju u kojoj su glasači popunjavali glasačke listiće i odlagali ih u glasačku kutiju. Nakon tridesetak minuta, njih dvoje su ušli u prostoriju iza zatvorenih vrata. Mirsad i Mirzeta su vidjeli njegovo ime na vrhu liste sa imenima šest predsjedničkih kandidata. Nakon desetak minuta, njih dvoje su zajedno izašli. Sišli smo niz ono mračno stepenište i izašli na jutarnje sunce. Na njihovim licima moglo se primijetiti olakšanje. Nakon kratkog televizijskog intervjua, ponovo smo šetali pješačkom stazom iz pravca centra grada ka Starom gradu, zajedno s njemačkom filmskom ekipom koja je snimala Mirsadov dan. Svakih dvadesetak koraka neko bi nas zaustavio kako bi se rukovao s Mirsadom i poželio mu sreću. Na kraju smo se zaustavili u bašti jednog kafića ispred predivne stare katoličke crkve. Tu sam imao priliku da porazgovaram s njima i da čujem njihove prve utiske o onom što je upravo minulo.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (13.4MB) | Embed