FIRST WEDDING IN EASTERN MOSTAR AFTER THREE DECADES

After nearly thirty years, a wedding is set to take place in Eastern Mostar at the end of this month!

This news was confirmed for "Nezavisne novine" by Božo Sjeran, the mayor of the municipality of Eastern Mostar, who also revealed that the local government has introduced a special form of support for every newlywed couple.

"Young couples who get married in our municipality receive a subsidy of 1,000 BAM, while couples over the age of 35 who tie the knot are awarded 3,000 BAM in support," Sjeran stated.

According to data from the Republic of Srpska’s Institute of Statistics, demographic indicators in some of the smaller municipalities are increasingly alarming. In fact, several of them did not record a single birth or marriage throughout the entire previous year.

The situation is particularly dire in municipalities such as Eastern Mostar and Eastern Drvar, where no newborns have been officially registered in 2024. Moreover, no marriages have been recorded this year in Eastern Mostar, Kupres, or Petrovac.

Demographer Stevo Pašalić warns that the condition in small rural municipalities is serious, though not unexpected.

"These small communities have been struggling with depopulation for a long time. They are home to only about a hundred people, mostly elderly. It’s no surprise that in such environments, there’s only one or no children born each year," said Pašalić.