Description of Electoral System:

(Courtesy of IFES election guide)

The Three-person presidency is elected by popular vote to serve a 4-year term. In the House of Peoples (Dom Naroda) 15 members are elected to serve 4-year terms. In the National House of Representatives (Predstavnicki Dom) 42 members are elected by proportional vote to serve 4-year terms. The seats are made up of 5 Bosniaks, 5 Croats, and 5 Serbs. Members are elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly. 28 seats are allocated from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats from the Republika Srpska.

Electoral Systems Snapshot

(Courtesy of International IDEA)

*Click on links for definitions

WANT MORE ELECTION-RELATED STATS FOR BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA? Go to "election databases" on the left-hand menu of this page OR comparative data on the right-hand menu and choose your area of interest.

Politics of Bosnia-Herzegovina

(courtesy of wikipedia)

Politics of Bosnia and Herzegovina takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The system of government established by the Dayton Accord is an example of consociationalism, as representation is by elites who represent the countries three major groups, with each having a guaranteed share of power. Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into two Entities - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska, as well as the district of Brčko. Each of the Entities has its own constitution.

Past elections

(Courtesy of wikipedia)

The Bosnia and Herzegovina general election of 2006 occurred on October 1, 2006. The election occurred in typical democratic fashion. This election decided the makeup of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency as well as federal, entity, and cantonal governments.

Many analysts claimed that the 2006 election would be the most important since Bosnia's independence from Yugoslavia, and the subsequent Bosnian War. With the previous government failing to agree reforms to the constitution, and Bosnian Muslim politicians continuing to threaten the abolition of the Republika Srpska and officials in Republika Srpska continuing to speak of possible secession from the country in response, the election was seen as crucial in determining the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Most recent elections

The fourth post-war local elections were held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 5 October 2008. 64 political parties and 183 independent candidates stood for elections and more than three million Bosnian citizens were eligible to vote for city councils and mayors. For the first time, representatives of national minorities were elected to local assemblies. To find out more on the last local elections please visit the official site of the Central Election Commission.