While citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina struggle to make ends meet until their next paycheck, newly elected political representatives are preparing to enter a mandate that offers high salaries, financial security, and numerous benefits.
Following the elections, parliamentary seats will soon be occupied by newly elected MPs and delegates, whose four-year terms can bring monthly incomes ranging from 3,500 to 8,500 BAM, depending on the level of government. Basic salaries represent only part of their total earnings and privileges, which stand in stark contrast to the financial reality faced by many citizens.
Journalist Milkica Milojević argues that the main issue is not necessarily the amount politicians earn, but the motives behind their decision to enter politics and their willingness to serve the public interest.
“My position is that it’s not a problem what their salaries are. The problem is that they get involved in politics because of those salaries, that they don’t care that they live off our backs for years, some even decades, and that they don’t do their job,” Milojević said.
Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of employees earn less than the average salary, with monthly incomes of around 1,300 BAM. A recent study by the Confederation of Trade Unions examining the concept of a decent wage also found that approximately 40 percent of employees need a second job in addition to their regular employment to support their families.
Darko Ružičic of the Federation of Trade Unions of Republika Srpska highlighted the gap between current earnings and what workers consider sufficient for a dignified life.
According to the survey, 35 percent of respondents believe that a decent monthly salary should range between 2,000 and 2,500 BAM.
Sociologist Drago Vuković believes that politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina has increasingly become a means of securing personal and party interests rather than serving society.
“Here, politics has long since, since the introduction of the multi-party system, immediately after that, become interest politics where the goal of every policy is to take care of its people, its personnel, and their training, and it has ceased to be what it is and should be, a responsible, morally public activity,” Vuković said.
Communication specialist Mladen Bubonjić points to financial incentives and limited opportunities elsewhere as factors influencing young people’s interest in political careers.
“Why do so many young people opt for some kind of politics? Because they simply see it as the only way out, but that way out is not a basic existential way out, it’s something more than that,” Bubonjić said.
Analysts argue that political engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina has increasingly become an attractive career path because of the financial rewards and benefits it offers, with personal interests frequently taking precedence over public responsibility.
This situation is reflected in the country’s crowded political landscape. In the latest elections, approximately 7,000 candidates and 75 political parties participated, highlighting the scale of political competition in a country where many citizens continue to face economic uncertainty.
The contrast between the financial privileges enjoyed by elected officials and the struggles of ordinary workers continues to raise questions about political accountability, public service, and whether those elected to represent citizens are adequately addressing their everyday concerns.
