The Politics of Bosnia and Herzegovina takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy,whereby executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Legislative power is vested in both the Council of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Members of the Parliamentary Assembly are chosen according to a proportional representation system.
The politics of Croatia are defined by a parliamentary,representative democratic republic framework,where the Prime Minister of Croatia is the head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Government and the President of Croatia. Legislative power is vested in the Croatian Parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The parliament adopted the current Constitution of Croatia on 22 December 1990 and decided to declare independence from Yugoslavia on 25 May 1991. The Constitutional Decision on the Sovereignty and Independence of the Republic of Croatia came into effect on 8 October 1991. The constitution has since been amended several times. The first modern parties in the country developed in the middle of the 19th century,and their agenda and appeal changed,reflecting major social changes,such as the breakup of Austria-Hungary,the Kingdom of Serbs,Croats and Slovenes,dictatorship and social upheavals in the kingdom,World War II,the establishment of Communist rule and the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia.
The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia is an institution that acts as the interpreter and guardian of the Croatian Constitution and which monitors the conformity of laws with the Constitution as well as protection of human rights and freedoms of citizens that are guaranteed by the Constitution. It is considered to be de facto the highest judicial authority because it can overturn Supreme Court decisions on the basis of constitutional breaches. It is not considered as being part of the judicial branch of government,but rather a court sui generis,and it is therefore often colloquially referred to as a "fourth branch of government",alongside the traditional model of tripartite separation of powers into the executive,legislative (Parliament) and judicial branches.
Croatia recognizes life partnerships for same-sex couples through the Life Partnership Act,making same-sex couples equal to married couples in almost all of its aspects. The Act also recognizes and defines unregistered same-sex relationships as informal life partners,thus making them equal to registered life partnerships after they have been cohabiting for a minimum of 3 years. Croatia first recognized same-sex couples in 2003 through a law on unregistered same-sex unions,which was later replaced by the Life Partnership Act. The Croatian Parliament passed the new law on 15 July 2014,taking effect in two stages. Following a 2013 referendum,the Constitution of Croatia has limited marriage to opposite-sex couples.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) rights in Croatia have expanded in recent years,but LGBT people may still face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. The status of same-sex relationships was first formally recognized in 2003 under a law dealing with unregistered cohabitations. As a result of a 2013 referendum,the Constitution of Croatia defines marriage solely as a union between a woman and man,effectively prohibiting same-sex marriage. Since the introduction of the Life Partnership Act in 2014,same-sex couples have effectively enjoyed rights equal to heterosexual married couples in almost all of its aspects. In 2022,a final court judgement allows same-sex couples to adopt children under the same conditions as everyone else. Same-sex couples in Croatia can also apply for foster care since 2020. Croatia bans all discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation,gender identity,and gender expression.
Branimir Glavaš is a Croatian former major general and right-wing politician. He was one of the founders of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party which was in power in the 1990s and one of its key figures until a split in 2006. In 2009 he was found guilty of war crimes.
Zagreb Pride is the annual LGBTIQ+ pride march in the city of Zagreb,Croatia,which first took place in 2002,as the first successful pride march in Southeast Europe. Zagreb Pride organizers say their work was inspired by the Stonewall Riots and the Gay Liberation Front. It is self-identified as LGBTIQ+ march and therefore in 2003 changed its name from Gay Pride Zagreb into Zagreb Pride. The Pride was organized by volunteer-based and grass-roots Organizing Committee that was formed each year. A new organization founded in 2008 as a non-governmental organization Zagreb Pride that also registered the use of the name as a brand. The organization is a member of InterPride,EPOA,IGLYO,ILGA-Europe and in 2010,together with Lesbian Organization LORI and Domino,it was the founding member of Croatian first national LGBT association,Center for LGBT Equality. Pride receives funding from the City of Zagreb and a number of international human rights organizations and embassies.
Ciril Ribičič is a Slovenian jurist,politician and author. Since 2000,he has served as a member of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia.
Milan Moguš was a Croatian linguist and academician.
The Joint Council of Municipalities in Croatia is an elected consultative sui generis body which constitutes a form of cultural self-government of Serbs in the eastern Croatian Podunavlje region. The body was established in the initial aftermath of the Croatian War of Independence as a part of the international community's efforts to peacefully settle the conflict in self-proclaimed Eastern Slavonia,Baranya and Western Syrmia. The establishment of the ZVO was one of the explicit provisions of the Erdut Agreement which called upon the United Nations to establish its UNTAES transitional administration.
The Constitutional Act on the Rights of National Minorities in the Republic of Croatia is constitutional law which defines rights of national minorities in Croatia. It is one of in total three Constitutional Acts in the Croatian legal system,with the other two being the Constitutional Act on Implementation of the Constitution of Croatia and the Constitutional Act on the Constitutional Court of Croatia. In its current form,the Act entered into force on 23 December 2002. Its earlier version,under the title Constitutional Act on National and Ethnic Communities or Minorities was passed in December 1991 as a precondition of the international community for the recognition of Croatian independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Act is hierarchically under the Constitution of Croatia and must comply with it,but above ordinary state laws and decisions,and above statutes and decisions of lower levels of government,which all must be in accordance with this law. Additionally,two special laws were created to define rights regarding education in minority languages and specific rights on the usage of minority languages in public life. Additionally,the Constitution of Croatia itself has articles directly relating to the protection of national minorities,and lists traditional minorities in Croatia.
Marijana Petir is a Croatian politician,former Member of the European Parliament.
Anka Mrak-Taritaš is a Croatian politician and architect who has been member of the Croatian Parliament for the II electoral district since the 2016 parliamentary election,and a member of the Zagreb Assembly since 2017. Between 2012 and 2016,she was Minister of Construction and Spatial Planning in the center-left cabinet of Zoran Milanović. Mrak-Taritašis also president of the Civic Liberal Alliance party.
Miroslav Šeparović is a Croatian lawyer who serves as the 5th President of the Constitutional Court of Croatia since 13 June 2016,had previously served as a 5th Minister of Justice in the Cabinet of Zlatko Mateša from 1995 to 1998.
Ingrid Antičević-Marinović is a Croatian lawyer and former politician who serves as justice of the Constitutional Court of Croatia since 7 June 2016. She had previously served as a 9th Minister of Justice,Public Administration and Local Self-government in the center-left Cabinet of Ivica Račan II from 2001 to 2003. She was the first woman to serve as Justice Minister in Croatia as well as first woman lawyer in Zadar's history.
Jasna Horvat is a Croatian writer,cultural theorist and professor at the University of Osijek. She writes novels,essays and books for children and youth as well as academic works. Most of her works have been assessed as Oulipian.
Mislav Kolakušić is a Croatian lawyer and politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament for Croatia since 2 July 2019,having been elected to the position at the 2019 election as an Independent. Previously,he served as a judge at the Zagreb Commercial Court.
Milan Blagojević in Gračanica is a Serbian jurist,full-time Professor of Constitutional Law and the former judge of the District Court of Banja Luka.
Ksenija Turković is a Croatian jurist and current vice-president and was judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Milan Vuković,was a Croatian jurist,president of the Supreme Court of Croatia and judge of the Constitutional Court of Croatia.
