Benjamina Karić
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Benjamina Karić ( sr-Cyrl, Бењамина Карић; ; born 8 April 1991) is a Bosnian politician serving as the municipal mayor of
Novo Sarajevo Novo Sarajevo (Ново Сарајево, ; lit. 'New Sarajevo') is a municipality of the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Neighborhoods *'' Grbavica I'' *'' Grbavica II'' *''Pofalići I'' *''Pofalići II'' *''Velešići'' *''Gornji Vele ...
since November 2024. She previously served as the 39th mayor of Sarajevo from 2021 to 2024. She has been a member of the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
since 2009. Karić was born in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
in 1991. She graduated from the
University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...
and earned her doctorate from the University of Zenica. Karić later worked as an assistant at the Faculty of Law at the
University of Travnik University of Travnik ( Bosnian: Univerzitet u Travniku, UNT) is a private university located in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The university was established in 2007. The motto of the university is— "Science to Success". Courses The univer ...
and in
Kiseljak Kiseljak ( sr-cyrl, Кисељак) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies in the valley of the Fojnica River, the Lepenica and the ...
. Following the 2020 municipal elections, she became mayor of Sarajevo in 2021 as a replacement for Bogić Bogićević, who decided to pull out of the candidacy for mayor shortly before. Karić served as mayor until November 2024, having been elected municipal mayor of Novo Sarajevo a month prior in the 2024 municipal elections.


Early life and education

Karić was born on 8 April 1991 in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
,
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
,
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, to Bosnian Muslim father Hasan Londrc and Serb mother Branka (née Đinđić). She graduated from two faculties at the same time, the
Faculty of Law, University of Sarajevo The Faculty of Law of the University of Sarajevo (), also known as the Sarajevo Law School, is one of the leading schools of the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The school is located in Sarajevo's downtown district next to the Lat ...
and the Department of History of the
Faculty of Philosophy A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...
in Sarajevo. She earned her doctorate in law from the University of Zenica in 2018. Karić is a recipient of the Silver Badge of the
University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...
for Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Studies. She is an author of fifty publications, books, articles and translations from
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
to Bosnian. In 2014, she was an assistant at the Faculty of Law,
University of Travnik University of Travnik ( Bosnian: Univerzitet u Travniku, UNT) is a private university located in Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The university was established in 2007. The motto of the university is— "Science to Success". Courses The univer ...
and in
Kiseljak Kiseljak ( sr-cyrl, Кисељак) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies in the valley of the Fojnica River, the Lepenica and the ...
. Karić joined the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
at the age of 18 in 2009, becoming the party's vice president ten years later, in 2019.


Mayor of Sarajevo (2021–2024)


Appointment

Following the
2020 Bosnian municipal elections Municipal elections were held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 November 2020 to elect mayors and assemblies in 143 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, municipalities. Originally scheduled for 4 October, they were postponed due to a lack of f ...
, Bogić Bogićević, former member of the
Presidency of Yugoslavia The Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, , , was the collective head of state of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was established in 1971 according to amendments to the 1963 Yugoslav Constitution, 1963 Co ...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s, announced that he would accept the appointment as mayor of Sarajevo by the four-party liberal alliance, colloquially called the '' Four'', which was set to govern the
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
after the elections, and that also included the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
(SDP BiH). However, on 24 March 2021, he decided to pull out of the candidacy because of conflicts in the alliance. Karić was then proposed as a potential candidate, with the SDP BiH officially announcing that she would be the new candidate for the office of mayor on 5 April 2021. Three days later on 8 April, Karić was unanimously elected by members of the City Council of
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
to become the 39th mayor of the city, succeeding Abdulah Skaka.


Tenure

In June 2021, Karić visited the northwestern Bosnian city of
Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...
, where she met with its mayor
Draško Stanivuković Draško Stanivuković (; born 21 May 1993) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician serving as mayor of Banja Luka since December 2020. He is the current president of the Party of Democratic Progress. From 2018 to 2020, Stan ...
, marking this event the first time after 26 years, and since the end of the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
, that the mayors of both Sarajevo and Banja Luka, as the two largest cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, have met each other. Later during that same month, Karić and
Istočno Sarajevo Istočno Sarajevo ( sr-cyr, Источно Сарајево, lit=East Sarajevo) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It consists of a few suburban areas located south of pre-war Sarajevo which are now included in the Republika S ...
mayor Ljubiša Ćosić signed a memorandum on the construction of a
bike path A bike path or a cycle path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses '' shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or ...
, planned to connect Sarajevo and the town of
Pale Pale may refer to: Jurisdictions * Medieval areas of English conquest: ** Pale of Calais, in France (1360–1558) ** The Pale, or the English Pale, in Ireland *Pale of Settlement, area of permitted Jewish settlement, western Russian Empire (179 ...
. On 30 June, the city's authorities launched a project to rebuild the
astronomical observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...
located on the mountain
Trebević Trebević ( sr-cyrl, Требевић) is a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in the territories of Republika Srpska, Sarajevo and Istočno Sarajevo, bordering Jahorina mountain. Trebević is tall, making it the second shortest ...
. On 8 July 2021, she visited
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
and there met with its mayor
Ekrem İmamoğlu Ekrem İmamoğlu (born 4 June 1970) is a Turkish politician and businessman who has served as the 32nd Mayor of Istanbul since 2019. He is currently suspended from office temporarily. He is the Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate for the ...
. On 17 July, the eve of her 100th day in office, Karić revealed plans for constructions of a large
urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...
, bike paths and excursion sites. On 12 November 2021, the Sarajevo City Administration put up a monument in Kazani, honoring ethnic Serbs living inside
besieged Sarajevo The siege of Sarajevo () was a prolonged military blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ethnically charged Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by Serbian forces of the Yugoslav People's Arm ...
, who were victims of a mass murder by the forces of
Mušan Topalović Mušan "Caco" Topalović (20 April 1957 – 26 October 1993) was a Bosnian gangster and warlord from Sarajevo, commander of the 10th Mountain Brigade in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Caco was also a smuggler, thief and gangst ...
, commander of the 10th Mountain
Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
in the
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina i ...
during the Bosnian War. On 15 November, Karić and High Representative
Christian Schmidt Hans Сhristian Friedrich Schmidt (born 26 August 1957) is a German politician and member of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian Social Union (CSU) who has been the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina since August 2021. ...
unveiled the monument.
UDIK UDIK, the Association for Social Research and Communications ( Bosnian: ''Udruženje za društvena istraživanja i komunikacije''/ Удружење за друштвена истраживања и комуникације), is a Bosnian non-gove ...
, which was one of initiators of the monument, and families of the victims did not attend the unveiling after it was revealed that the perpetrators' names would be omitted from the plaque. Throughout 2023,
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
s in Sarajevo's center, mostly those built during the Austro-Hungarian period, have been undergoing renovations. In June 2023, Karić refused to project the
rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. History In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...
, a symbol of
LGBT pride In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility o ...
, on the
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
, and opted not to publicly show her support for the
LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...
, unlike most of her fellow SDP BiH members who have regularly showed support for the community. Following a large escalation of the Gaza–Israel conflict in October 2023, Karić said it was "hypocritical to condemn
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
' attack on Israel, and not to condemn all that happened before and after it". In June 2024, it was reported that Karić would run for municipal mayor of
Novo Sarajevo Novo Sarajevo (Ново Сарајево, ; lit. 'New Sarajevo') is a municipality of the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Neighborhoods *'' Grbavica I'' *'' Grbavica II'' *''Pofalići I'' *''Pofalići II'' *''Velešići'' *''Gornji Vele ...
, a municipality within the city of Sarajevo, in the Bosnian municipal elections. The SDP BiH confirmed Karić's candidacy in July 2024. In the elections, held on 6 October 2024, she was narrowly elected municipal mayor of Novo Sarajevo, obtaining 42.21% of the vote, while her main opponent, Muamer Bandić, won 40.41%. Her term as mayor of Sarajevo ended on 18 November 2024. She was sworn in as Novo Sarajevo municipal mayor the following day.


Personal life

She is married to Alen Karić, and together they have one child. She lives with her family in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
. In addition to her native Bosnian, Karić speaks
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
fluently.


References


Sources

*


External links


Benjamina Karić
at Facebook {{DEFAULTSORT:Karic, Benjamina 1991 births Living people Politicians from Sarajevo Sarajevo Law School alumni 21st-century women politicians Politicians of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Mayors of Sarajevo Women mayors of places in Bosnia and Herzegovina