Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina Politička podjela Bosne i Hercegovine Политичка подјела Босне и Херцеговине
Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Republika Srpska entity (1), Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity (2), Brčko District condominium (3)
Category	Federated state
Location	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Created	14 December 1995
Number	2 entities and 1 condominium
Populations	85,000 (Brčko District) – 2,243,000 (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Areas	493 km2 (Brčko District) – 26,110.5 km2 (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

The political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina were created by the Dayton Agreement. The agreement divides the country into two federal entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and the Republika Srpska (RS) and one condominium of the two entities named the Brčko District.

The vast majority of the population in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is Bosniaks and Croats. In contrast, in Republika Srpska, the vast majority are Serbs. Due to the entities' high powers and the political differences between them, Bosnia and Herzegovina is described as a confederation.

Overview

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is split into 10 cantons, local governing units endowed with substantial autonomy. In contrast, Republika Srpska operates under a centralised government structure. While the state level holds limited exclusive or joint responsibilities, the entities wield most of the authority. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska control the majority of jurisdictions and resources, each with its own constitutions, presidents, parliaments, governments, and prime ministers. They manage citizenship matters and primarily enforce laws since the state level lacks this ability. The entities serve as the primary level for distributing state-collected funds and oversee a significant portion of civil and political rights. They hold direct representation in state-level institutions and essentially possess veto power over all state policies. ^[1]

List

Name	Area (km2)	Pop.	Density (km2)	Ethnic groups	Munic.	Status	Map
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine Федерација Босне и Херцеговине	26,110.5	2,243,000	85.9	Bosniaks (70.40%) Croats (22.44%) Serbs (2.55%)	79 (including 22 cities)	Entity
Republika Srpska Република Српска Republika Srpska	24,532.8	1,209,000	49.3	Serbs (82.95%) Bosniaks (12.69%) Croats (2.27%)	64 (including 10 cities)	Entity
Brčko District Brčko Distrikt Брчко Дистрикт	493	85,000	172.4	Bosniaks (42.36%) Serbs (34.58%) Croats (20.66%)	—	Self-governing district

See also

• Proposed Croat federal unit in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Administrative divisions of Yugoslavia

References

1. Kapidžić, Damir (2021), "Subnational competitive authoritarianism and power-sharing in Bosnia and Herzegovina" , Illiberal Politics in Southeast Europe, pp. 79–99, doi:10.4324/9781003208327-5, ISBN   9781003208327 , retrieved March 29, 2023

Further reading

• Bahtić-Kunrath, Birgit (2011). "Of veto players and entity-voting: institutional gridlock in the Bosnian reform process". Nationalities Papers. 39 (6): 899–923. doi:10.1080/00905992.2011.614224. ISSN   0090-5992. S2CID   153850550.
• Belloni, Roberto (2009). "Bosnia: Dayton is Dead! Long Live Dayton!". Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 15 (3–4): 355–375. doi:10.1080/13537110903372367. hdl: 11572/76874 . ISSN   1353-7113. S2CID   143858915.
• Bose, Sumantra (2005). "The Bosnian State a decade after Dayton". International Peacekeeping. 12 (3): 322–335. doi:10.1080/13533310500074028. ISSN   1353-3312. S2CID   145810090.
• Cooley, Laurence (2013). "The European Union's approach to conflict resolution: Insights from the constitutional reform process in Bosnia and Herzegovina". Comparative European Politics. 11 (2): 172–200. doi:10.1057/cep.2012.21. ISSN   1472-4790. S2CID   144140751.
• Hayden, Robert M. (2005). ""Democracy" without a Demos? The Bosnian Constitutional Experiment and the Intentional Construction of Nonfunctioning States". East European Politics and Societies and Cultures. 19 (2): 226–259. doi:10.1177/0888325404272679. ISSN   0888-3254. S2CID   145709568.
• Keil, Soeren; Kudlenko, Anastasiia (2015). "Bosnia and Herzegovina 20 Years after Dayton: Complexity Born of Paradoxes" (PDF). International Peacekeeping. 22 (5): 471–489. doi:10.1080/13533312.2015.1103651. ISSN   1353-3312. S2CID   146390988.
• Perry, Valery (2015). "Constitutional Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Does the Road to Confederation go through the EU?". International Peacekeeping. 22 (5): 490–510. doi:10.1080/13533312.2015.1100082. ISSN   1353-3312. S2CID   151456221.
• Sebastian, Sofia (2009). "The Role of the EU in the Reform of Dayton in Bosnia-Herzegovina". Ethnopolitics. 8 (3–4): 341–354. doi:10.1080/17449050903086948. ISSN   1744-9057. S2CID   143308393.
• Touquet, Heleen; Vermeersch, Peter (2008). "Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thinking Beyond Institution-Building". Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 14 (2): 266–288. doi:10.1080/13537110801985120. ISSN   1353-7113. S2CID   144848639.

External links

• A precarious peace, The Economist, 22 January 1998
• The EU's pseudosuccess in Bosnia, Centre for Eastern Studies 2011
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ongoing erosion of the State, Centre for Eastern Studies 2011