POLITICAL DATA

The Dayton Agreement of November 1995 (which includes a constitution) forms the legal basis of Bosnia-Herzegovina's political structure. The republic is split into two entities: the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Republika Srpska. Bosnia-Herzegovina has limited responsibilities under the Basic principles agreed in Geneva and New York in September 1995 and confirmed at Dayton, including the establishment of a constitutional court, a commission for displaced persons, a human rights commission, a central bank, public corporations for transport and telecommunications, a commission to preserve national monuments and a system of arbitration between the two entities. An international High Representative has wide-ranging powers, including the authority to sack elected politicians who oppose the implementation of the agreement.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a bicameral parliament or Skupstina comprising the National House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda. Deputies in the House of Representatives are elected by popular vote, and members of the House of Peoples are nominated by the two entities' parliaments (the Federation and the R. Srpska have their own parliaments). All legislation requires the approval of both the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples, and a valid majority requires the support of at least one-third of the members representing each entity. 

General elections took place October 1, 2006 to select a new three-member state presidency, the RS president, and state, entity and cantonal parliaments.  The next presidential and parliamentary elections are due in 2010.

BiH has a rotating, collective, three-member presidency: BiH Presidency Chairman Nebojša Radmanović and the BiH Presidency members Željko Komšić and Dr Haris Silajdžić  are the current members.

The Council of Ministers includes ten ministers, one of whom is appointed chairman (prime minister) for a four year term. The current government was formed after elections in October 2002.  The entities also have their own governments.

The Embassy of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Washington

Konrad Adanauer Foundation for Sarajevo

Office of the High Representative