Fikret Abdić

Fikret Abdić, born on 29 September 1939, is a notable Bosnian politician and entrepreneur, affectionately known as Babo. He gained significant recognition in the 1980s for transforming Agrokomerc, an agriculture company based in Velika Kladuša, into one of the largest conglomerates in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In the political arena, Abdić made headlines when he won the popular vote in the Bosnian presidential elections of 1990. However, his political journey took a controversial turn during the Bosnian War in the early 1990s when he opposed the official Bosnian government. This opposition led him to establish the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, a brief and contentious mini-state that existed from 1993 to 1995, primarily comprising Velika Kladuša and its surrounding villages, and allied with the Army of Republika Srpska.

Abdić's actions during the war resulted in legal repercussions; in 2002, he was convicted in Croatia for war crimes against Bosniaks loyal to the Bosnian government, receiving a twenty-year prison sentence, which was later reduced to fifteen years upon appeal. After serving two-thirds of his sentence, he was released on 9 March 2012.

Despite his release, Abdić's political career faced further challenges. In June 2020, he was imprisoned again on suspicion of abusing his office as mayor. Nevertheless, he continued to serve in this role until 15 November 2024, when he was succeeded by Boris Horvat.