On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the death of the first President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic, flowers were be laid at the Kovaci Cemetery. From 8 pm the Academy will be organized by the Museum “Alija Izetbegovic 1925-2003” at the National Theater.
Alija Izetbegovic was born on August 8th 1925 in Bosanski Samac, in a family of farmers who moved from Belgrade to that town in 1868. His family moved to Sarajevo in 1928.
Due to the Islamic declaration, during the political process in 1983 he was charged with planning the creation of an Islamic state together with twelve Muslim intellectuals and sentenced to 14 years in prison. However, Izetbegovic did not serve his entire sentence and was released in 1988, after which he turned to active political career.
Together with Fikret Abdic, Adil Zulfikarpasic and several other politicians, Izetbegovic founded the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) in 1990. At the elections in 1990 for the assembly of the Federal Republic of B&H within the elections for a member of a seven-member Presidency of FR B&H, SDA won 35.85 percent and thereby the largest number of votes. Fikret Abdic won the first place at the presidential elections, but after the internal discussions within the party Abdic handed over the post of the President of the Presidency of the FR B&H to Izetbegovic.
During the war from 1992 to 1995, Izetbegovic attempted to maintain good relations both with the East and the West. He was exceptionally appreciated in political circles as an example of a tolerant and wise politician, and example of a modern democrat.
