FAQ

Citizens’ assemblies provide high quality and well thought-out decisions. Thanks to the random selection process and the use of a set of demographic criteria for the composition of the group, it can be assumed that the final recommendation takes into account the common good of the community, providing a good basis for decision-making in matters related to a local community or the whole country.

Citizens’ assemblies, in various forms, have been organised in recent years in numerous countries such as Australia, Ireland, Poland, Canada, Belgium, France, USA and the United Kingdom, both at the local and the national level.

Citizen’s assemblies are a form of deliberative democracy, i.e. democracy in which discussion and deliberation among a group of randomly selected persons is a key component of the decision-making process. Deliberation means weighing the advantages and disadvantages of proposed solutions, their pros and cons, during small-group or plenary discussions. This approach encourages participants to learn about different perspectives and points of view in order to have a better understanding of the impact that implementing particular solutions might have on peoples’ lives or the environment.

In case of the second Citizens’ Assembly that will be held in the begining of the year 2024, Coordinating Team, that is composed of the employees of the City of Mostar, is in charge of running Citizens’ Assembly, also by using specific expert support from the experts of the Council of Europe. Coordinating Team is a group that is responsible for creating rules and procedures contained in Mostar Citizens’ Assembly Rulebook 2024, and is also responsible for organizing the Assembly.
Oversight Team is a group that oversees the process of the Assembly to ensure that it follows the standards and rules set out in the Mostar Citizens’ Assembly Rulebook 2024.

Random selection allows assembly members to be independent in their decision-making. They can focus on their task without being distracted by elections, party politics or fundraising campaigns.

The best practice is to agree on an upfront declaration by local or national authorities that the recommendations of the citizens’ assembly will be implemented if they reach a certain threshold of support by assembly members (such as 80 percent). At a minimum, public authorities debate and respond to the recommendations that are presented to them.

In a citizen’s assembly, the composition of the group reflects a number of demographic criteria of the community and, as a result, the citizen’s assembly is, in this respect, more representative than regular open public consultations. Assembly meetings begin with a learning phase and presentations are given by experts and non-governmental organisations. This may take many hours in total. The citizens’ assembly, therefore, can consider a given subject thoroughly and can deliver quality outcomes that can be trusted.

In the case of the Mostar Citizens’ Assembly, any resident of Mostar who is at least 16 years old can become a member. As a first step, invitations will be sent out to randomly selected households and a final group of 40 assembly members will also be randomly selected from among those who have registered to participate. There is a list of ineligibility criteria though, such as being an elected politician or a high-level civil servant whose work is related to the topic of the assembly. This list of ineligibility criteria is composed to ensure the credibility of the process.

In the process of the Mostar Citizens’ Assembly, there is a special role for all stakeholders, such as institutions, informal groups of residents and non-governmental organisations. They all have the right to propose specific topics to be covered during the learning phase of the assembly and experts to give presentations, and they can also propose their own recommendations. Details on the rights of stakeholders are presented in the assembly rulebook.

In the case of the Mostar Citizens’ Assembly, representatives of the mayors and city councillors from all the political coalitions are invited to participate in the Oversight Team, but they cannot become assembly members. As members of the Oversight Team, their role is to ensure that the Coordinating Team adheres to the assembly standards.

Citizens’ assemblies are by definition a long-term process. The meetings may take several weeks or months, depending on the subject, budget and how the process is designed.

When a person becomes an assembly member, he or she can influence the development of the city or country. This can be a very empowering experience. Assembly members have an opportunity to learn new things and to meet new people. It may also be worth noting that they receive a stipend for their engagement.

A citizens’ assembly organised every year or even 2-3 times per year serves as an addition to the current political system. From the legal perspective, the City Council has to approve the decisions or recommendations of the citizens’ assembly. However, it is possible to create a political system that is based entirely on citizens’ assemblies.

Citizens’ assemblies can be commissioned by public authorities or organised as independent processes. The advantage of commissioning them by public authorities is a potentially bigger political buy-in and thus a greater possibility of implementing recommendations. In some countries, citizens’ assemblies are usually organised by public authorities.

The main benefit of organising a citizens’ assembly for a public authority is the possibility to learn what citizens think the best choice for a given subject is after learning deeply about the issues and considering possible options. Citizens’ assemblies provide well thought-out recommendations that public authorities can depend on.

Deliberation is a more advanced practice of citizen participation being used in many communities
where local, regional or national authorities want to include representative groups of citizens in
decision making.

The deliberative process consists of four main phases: selection of citizens, learning and capacity
building consultation and deliberation. During each phase, a comprehensive participation of
different stakeholders is ensured, ranging from the general public to interest groups, NGOs and local
political parties. This leads to more rounded and informed public opinion and arguably better
decisions. Ultimately, it leads to increased trust towards local authorities.