Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Encyclopedia
The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine/Предсједништво Босне и Херцеговине) is the head of state
of Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
and one Croat elected from the Federation
and one Serb elected from the Republika Srpska
. Together, they serve one four-year term.
The member with the most votes becomes the chairman unless he or she was the incumbent chairman at the time of the election, but the chairmanship rotates every eight months, to ensure equality.
The Presidency is responsible for:
Over the course of the Bosnian war
, the Presidency underwent several changes: the Serb members Plavšić and Koljević, as well as the Croat member Boras, left the Presidency early on and were replaced by Nenad Kecmanović, Mirko Pejanović and Ivo Komšić, respectively. Kecmanović soon also left, and was replaced by Tatjana Ljujić-Mijatović. After a while, Abdić was replaced with Nijaz Duraković.
Živko Radišić with 52% of the Serb vote was elected chairman of the collective presidency for the first 8 months; Ante Jelavić with 52% of the Croat vote followed Radišić in the rotation; Alija Izetbegović with 87% of the Bosniak vote won the highest number of votes in the election but was ineligible to serve a second term until Radišić and Jelavić had each served a first term as Chairman of the Presidency. Ante Jelavić was replaced by Jozo Križanović
for the remainder of his term based on a decision issued by Wolfgang Petritsch
, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
Elected members:
Mirko Šarović with 35.5% of the Serb vote was elected chairman of the collective presidency for the first eight months; Dragan Čović received 61.5% of the Croat vote; Sulejman Tihić received 37% of the Bosniak vote.
Mirko Šarović resigned in 2003 due to his implication in the scandal regarding the selling of arms to Iraq
. The Parliament replaced him with Borislav Paravac
.
Dragan Čović was dismissed by the High Representative
Paddy Ashdown
, after Čović was indicted for financial corruption; however, the trial hasn't taken place yet. The Parliament replaced him with Ivo Miro Jović
.
Elected members:
Elected members:
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
Overview
According to the Article V of the Constitution, the Presidency consists of three members: one BosniakBosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
and one Croat elected from the Federation
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two political entities that compose the sovereign country of Bosnia and Herzegovina . The two entities are delineated by the Inter-Entity Boundary Line...
and one Serb elected from the Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. Together, they serve one four-year term.
The member with the most votes becomes the chairman unless he or she was the incumbent chairman at the time of the election, but the chairmanship rotates every eight months, to ensure equality.
The Presidency is responsible for:
- Conducting the foreign policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Appointing ambassadors and other international representatives, no more than two thirds of which may come from the Federation;
- Representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in European and international organizations and institutions and seeking membership in such organizations and institutions of which it is not a member;
- Negotiating, denouncing, and, with the consent of the Parliamentary Assembly, ratifying treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Executing decisions of the Parliamentary Assembly;
- Proposing, upon the recommendation of the Council of MinistersCouncil of Ministers of Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the executive branch of the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina.According to the Article V, Section 4 of the Constitution, the Chair of the Council of Ministers is nominated by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and confirmed by the...
, an annual budget to the Parliamentary Assembly; - Reporting as requested, but no less than annually, to the Parliamentary Assembly on expenditures by the Presidency;
- Coordinating as necessary with international and nongovernmental organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and;
- Performing such other functions as may be necessary to carry out its duties, as may be assigned to it by the Parliamentary Assembly, or as may be agreed by the Entities.
Heads of State of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Chairman of the Anti-Fascist Council of People's Liberation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaZAVNOBiHThe National Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed as the highest governing organ of the anti-fascist movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and during World War II developed to be bearer of Bosnian statehood...
- Vojislav Kecmanović (25 November 1943 - 26 April 1945)
- Presidents of the Presidium of the People's Assembly
- Vojislav Kecmanović (26 April 1945 - November 1946)
- Đuro Pucar (November 1946 - September 1948)
- Vlado Segrt (September 1948 - March 1953)
- Presidents of the People's Assembly
- Đuro Pucar (December 1953 - June 1963)
- Ratomir Dugonjić (June 1963 - 1967)
- Džemal BijedićDžemal BijedicDžemal Bijedić was a Bosniak Communist politician from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the prime minister of Yugoslavia from 1971 until his death.- Early life :...
(1967–1971) - Hamdija PozderacHamdija PozderacHamdija Pozderac was a Bosniak communist politician and the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1971- 74. He was a vice president of the former Yugoslavia in late 1980s, and was in line to become the president of Yugoslavia just before he was forced to resign from politics in 1987...
(1971 - May 1974)
- Presidents of the Presidency
- Ratomir Dugonjić (May 1974 - April 1978)
- Raif DizdarevićRaif DizdarevicRaif Dizdarević is a former Bosniak politician. Dizdarević was born in Fojnica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During World War II he participated in the armed resistance in the Partisans....
(April 1978 - April 1982) - Branko MikulićBranko MikulicBranko Mikulić was a communist politician and statesman in the Yugoslavia. Mikulić was one of the leading communist politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the communist rule in the former Yugoslavia.-Biography:...
(April 1982 - 26 April 1984) - Milanko RenovicaMilanko RenovicaMilanko Renovica was a Yugoslav politician. He was the president of the Yugoslav League of Communists and served as president of Bosnia-Herzegovina. He is an ethnic Serb.-References:...
(26 April 1984 - 26 April 1985) - Munir Mesihović (26 April 1985 - April 1987)
- Mato Andrić (April 1987 - April 1988)
- Nikola Filipović (April 1988 - April 1989)
- Obrad PiljakObrad PiljakObrad Piljak is a Bosnian politician and former Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from April 1989 to December 1990. He was the last nominated member of the Communist party of Bosnia and Herzegovina to serve as Presidency chairman, before the first multi-party elections were...
(April 1989 - 20 December 1990)
Presidency of the early Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
When the country declared independence in 1992, the Presidency consisted of:- two Bosniak members - Alija IzetbegovićAlija IzetbegovicAlija Izetbegović was a Bosniak activist, lawyer, author, philosopher and politician, who, in 1990, became the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served in this role until 1996, when he became a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving until 2000...
and Fikret AbdićFikret AbdicFikret Abdić is a politician and businessman from Bosnia and Herzegovina, convicted of war crimes against Bosniaks in the region of Velika Kladuša.... - two Serb members - Biljana PlavšićBiljana PlavšicBiljana Plavšić is a former president of Republika Srpska and war criminal. She is the highest ranking Bosnian Serb politician to be sentenced. She was indicted in 2001 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for war crimes committed during the Bosnian war...
and Nikola KoljevićNikola KoljevicNikola Koljević was a Serbian politician, university professor, translator and an essayist, one of the foremost Yugoslavian Shakespeare scholars.Koljević was born to a distinguished merchant family... - two Croat members - Stjepan Kljujić and Franjo Boras
- one other member - Ejup GanićEjup GanicEjup Ganić, PhD was President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001.-Biography:Ganić was born in Sebečevo village near Novi Pazar, Serbia...
Over the course of the Bosnian war
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, the Presidency underwent several changes: the Serb members Plavšić and Koljević, as well as the Croat member Boras, left the Presidency early on and were replaced by Nenad Kecmanović, Mirko Pejanović and Ivo Komšić, respectively. Kecmanović soon also left, and was replaced by Tatjana Ljujić-Mijatović. After a while, Abdić was replaced with Nijaz Duraković.
Presidency elected in 1996
Elected members:- Alija IzetbegovićAlija IzetbegovicAlija Izetbegović was a Bosniak activist, lawyer, author, philosopher and politician, who, in 1990, became the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served in this role until 1996, when he became a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving until 2000...
for the BosniaksBosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia... - Momčilo KrajišnikMomcilo KrajišnikMomčilo Krajišnik is a Bosnian Serb former politician convicted of murder and other crimes against humanity during the Bosnian war .He co-founded the Bosnian Serb nationalist Serbian Democratic Party with Radovan...
for the SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in... - Krešimir ZubakKrešimir ZubakKrešimir Zubak is a Bosnian Croat politician.At the beginning of the Bosnian War in 1992, he joined the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After Mate Boban left the position of president of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, Zubak succeeded him...
for the CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
Presidency elected in 1998
Elected members:- Alija IzetbegovićAlija IzetbegovicAlija Izetbegović was a Bosniak activist, lawyer, author, philosopher and politician, who, in 1990, became the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served in this role until 1996, when he became a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving until 2000...
for the BosniaksBosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
, since 5 October 1996 (chairman between 14 February and 14 October 2000) - Živko RadišićŽivko RadišicŽivko Radišić is a Bosnian Serb politician and former Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
for the SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, since 13 October 1998 - Ante JelavićAnte JelavicAnte Jelavić is a Croat politician and former Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.Jelavić was born in 1963 in Podprolog, Vrgorac, Croatia, then Yugoslavia, and was elected to the post as a candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina.Ante Jelavić served as...
for the CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
, September 1998 to March 2001
Živko Radišić with 52% of the Serb vote was elected chairman of the collective presidency for the first 8 months; Ante Jelavić with 52% of the Croat vote followed Radišić in the rotation; Alija Izetbegović with 87% of the Bosniak vote won the highest number of votes in the election but was ineligible to serve a second term until Radišić and Jelavić had each served a first term as Chairman of the Presidency. Ante Jelavić was replaced by Jozo Križanović
Jozo Križanović
Jozo Križanović was a Croat politician of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Križanović died from complications following surgery in Zagreb on December 2, 2009.-Career:...
for the remainder of his term based on a decision issued by Wolfgang Petritsch
Wolfgang Petritsch
Wolfgang Petritsch is an Austrian diplomat of Slovene ethnicity. He was born to a Carinthian Slovene family in Klagenfurt and spent his childhood in a partially Slovene, partially German-speaking environment. He has a PhD from the University of Vienna and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University...
, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was created in 1995 immediately after the Dayton Peace Agreement to oversee the civilian implementation of this agreement. The High Representative and the OHR represent the...
.
Presidency elected in 2002
Election held 5 October 2002.Elected members:
- Dragan ČovićDragan CovicDragan Čović is a Croat politician from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Čović is the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently Čović is under indictment from the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for misuse of office.-Career:Čović worked for the airplane...
for the CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have... - Mirko ŠarovićMirko ŠarovicMirko Šarović is a Bosnian Serb politician, former Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
for the SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in... - Sulejman TihićSulejman TihicSulejman Tihić is a Bosniak politician, a leading member of Party of Democratic Action .Tihić was born in the town of Bosanski Šamac in northern Bosnia. He obtained a degree in Law from the University of Sarajevo...
for the BosniaksBosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
Mirko Šarović with 35.5% of the Serb vote was elected chairman of the collective presidency for the first eight months; Dragan Čović received 61.5% of the Croat vote; Sulejman Tihić received 37% of the Bosniak vote.
Mirko Šarović resigned in 2003 due to his implication in the scandal regarding the selling of arms to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The Parliament replaced him with Borislav Paravac
Borislav Paravac
Borislav Paravac is a Bosnian Serb politician and was a member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from April 11, 2003 to November 6, 2006....
.
Dragan Čović was dismissed by the High Representative
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was created in 1995 immediately after the Dayton Peace Agreement to oversee the civilian implementation of this agreement. The High Representative and the OHR represent the...
Paddy Ashdown
Paddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
, after Čović was indicted for financial corruption; however, the trial hasn't taken place yet. The Parliament replaced him with Ivo Miro Jović
Ivo Miro Jovic
Ivo Miro Jović is the former Bosnian Croat member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, elected in the Parliament on May 9, 2005 following the sacking of Dragan Čović by the High Representative on charges of corruption...
.
Presidency elected in 2006
Election held 1 October 2006.Elected members:
- Željko KomšićŽeljko KomšicŽeljko Komšić is a Bosniaks politician from the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.On 1 October 2006, he was elected by Bosnikas as the representatives of Croat to a four-year term as the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Early life and the war in Bosnia:Komšić has a law degree...
for the CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have... - Nebojša RadmanovićNebojša RadmanovicNebojša Radmanović is a Bosnian Serb politician. He finished his schooling in Banja Luka, before going on to study at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy...
for the SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in... - Haris SilajdžićHaris SilajdžicHaris Silajdžić is a Bosnian politician and academic. In the 2006 elections, Silajdžić was elected as the Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina for four years in the rotating presidency.He was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia.- Political career:From 1990...
for the BosniaksBosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
Presidency elected in 2010
Election held 3 October 2010.Elected members:
- Željko KomšićŽeljko KomšicŽeljko Komšić is a Bosniaks politician from the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.On 1 October 2006, he was elected by Bosnikas as the representatives of Croat to a four-year term as the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Early life and the war in Bosnia:Komšić has a law degree...
for the CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have... - Nebojša RadmanovićNebojša RadmanovicNebojša Radmanović is a Bosnian Serb politician. He finished his schooling in Banja Luka, before going on to study at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy...
for the SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in... - Bakir IzetbegovićBakir IzetbegovicBakir Izetbegović is a Bosniak politician. Izetbegović is a member of the Party of Democratic Action and son of the late Bosnian president, Alija Izetbegović. In 2010, he was elected to be the Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Career:Izetbegović graduated with a degree in...
for the BosniaksBosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
External links
- Website of the Presidency
- Article V of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Holding Bosnian presidents accountable, ISN Security WatchInternational Relations and Security NetworkThe International Relations and Security Network is part of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's Center for Security Studies, which is located in Zurich, Switzerland...
, 21 December 2006