Select country profile:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Women in decision-making positions
20%
Members of local deliberative bodies are women (623 elected women)
Head of State and Head of Government are women
President: Zeljka Cvijanovic
Prime Minister: Borjana Kristo
19%
Parliamentarians are women
11%
Ministers are women

Government organization

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a federal republic with three spheres of government: federal, intermediate, and local.

One tier of central government, one or two tiers of partial intermediate government (the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Cantons below it and the Republika Srpska) and one or two tiers of local government: there are cities some cities in the Federation and the Republika, with municipalities as the lower tier. Directly under the central government, the Brčko District.
Federal government
  • Head of State: The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of three members: one Bosniak President and one Croat President, each directly elected by voters of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one Serb President, directly elected by voters of Republika Srpska. The three members as an unsubdivided body are the Head of State. A system of rotating Chairperson is in place, whereby each member will be Chairperson twice for a duration of eight months. The candidate receiving the most votes overall is the first to take on the role of Chairperson.
  • Head of Government: The Chair of the Council of Ministers is nominated by the Presidency and approved by the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly.
  • Legislative body: The Parliamentary Assembly is a bicameral legislature, consisting of an upper house (the House of Peoples) and a lower house (the National House of Representatives). Parliamentary Assembly members are directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Council of Ministers consists of nine ministers and the Chair of the Council of Ministers. Ministers are nominated by the Chair and approved by the House of Representatives. A maximum of two-thirds of ministers can be appointed from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Legislative body: The Federation Parliament is a bicameral legislature, consisting of an upper house (the House of Peoples), and a lower house (the House of Representatives). Members of the House of Peoples are elected by and from members of the cantonal assemblies in proportion to the ethnic structure of the population. Members of the House of Representatives are directly elected by voters of the Federation.
  • Executive body: The Government of the Federation is composed of the Prime Minister of the Federation and 16 ministers. The President of the Federation, in agreement with both Vice-Presidents of the Federation, appoints the Government of the Federation upon consultation with the Prime Minister and confirmation by the House of Representatives of the Federation.
Government of Republika Srpska
  • Legislative body: The National Assembly of Republika Srpska is a unicameral legislature whose members are directly elected by voters of the Republika Srpska.
  • Executive body: The Government of the Republika Srpska is composed of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and ministers. The Prime Minister is proposed by the President of the Republika Srpska and the ministers are proposed by the Prime Minister. The Government is elected by the majority of the National Assembly.
Cantons
  • Legislative body: The cantonal assembly is the unicameral legislature, composed of members directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The cantonal government is composed of the ministers and the cantonal prime minister. The cantonal prime minister is nominated by the chairperson of the cantonal assembly, in consultation with the vice-chairperson of the cantonal assembly. Ministers are proposed by the candidate for cantonal prime minister. The composition of the cantonal government is approved by the cantonal assembly.
Local government
  • Organization: Local government is organized into one or two tiers. There is an upper tier of 24 city-level local government units, and a lower tier of 143 municipalities. The Brčko District exists as a separate single-tiered local government unit directly under the sovereignty of the federal government.
  • Competencies: Local government is responsible for managing local property, managing local financial resources, and making local statutes.
  • Ministerial oversight: In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Justice (Department for Public Administration) is responsible for oversight on local government. In Republika Srpska, the Republika Srpska Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government is responsible for oversight on local government.

Overview of local government

Local government composition
City-level government (grad/ град)

Deliberative body: The city assembly (gradsko vijeće/gradska skupština/cкупштина града) is composed of 11-35 members elected by and from the municipal assemblies that compose it. An assembly president is elected by and from the city assembly to preside over it; the assembly president is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The city government is composed of appointed members and the city mayor, who presides over it. The city mayor (gradonačelnik/ градоначелник) can be elected by and from the members of the city assembly or directly by voters.

Municipalities (opština/општина)

Deliberative body: The municipal assembly (općinsko vijeće/skupština opštine/ скупштина општине) is composed of 11-31 elected members. An assembly chairperson is elected by and from the municipal assembly to preside over it; the assembly chairperson is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The municipal government is composed of appointed members and the municipal mayor, who presides over it. The municipal mayor (gradonačelnik/ градоначелник) is directly elected by voters.

Brčko District government (Brčko Distrikt / Брчко Дистрикт)

Deliberative body: The Brčko District Assembly (Skupština Brčko distrikta/ Скупштина Брчко дистрикта) is composed of 31 elected members. An assembly speaker is elected by and from the Brčko District Assembly to preside over it; the assembly speaker is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The Brčko District Government is composed of appointed members and the Brčko District Mayor, who presides over it. The Brčko District Mayor (gradonačelnik/ градоначелник) is elected by the members of the Brčko District Assembly.

Local government elections
Electoral system

Electoral system for deliberative bodies: proportional representation (open list)   

  • Parties must win more than 3% of the total number of valid ballots in a constituency to participate in mandate allocation for assemblies. Mandates are distributed first amongst candidates on a given open list who have individually received at least 10% of the total number of valid votes received by that list.

Electoral system for municipal mayors: majority/plurality (first-past-the-post)

  • The candidate that gets the greatest number of votes is declared elected. Mayors are elected using a separate ballot from the deliberative bodies.

Source : Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2001  (amended through 2022), articles 9.5, 13.1, 13.5 and 13.7

Quotas

Gender quotas: Legislated candidate quotas, ranking/placement, sanctions

  • Every candidate list for deliberative body elections must have at least a 40% representation of each sex.
  • Women candidates should be distributed on the list in the following manner: at least one woman amongst the first two candidates, two women amongst the first five candidates, and three women amongst the first eight candidates etc.
  • If an electoral list does not follow this quota, the Central Election Commission can reject the respective list if it is not revised within five days of notification.

Additional quotas: Constituent peoples (Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats) and national minorities.

  • There are quota provisions for the three constituent peoples (Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats) of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In municipalities, the mayor and the assembly chairperson may not be from the same constituent group, except when one constituent group makes up more than 80% of the population, according to the latest census. In the Brčko District Assembly, if each constituent group does not receive a minimum of three mandates, the mandates are subsequently adjusted.
  • There are also quota provisions for national minorities. A national minority member means a national of Bosnia and Herzegovina who does not belong to any of the three constituent peoples. In cities and municipalities, if a national minority makes up more than 3% of the population within a respective constituency, the respective national minority is guaranteed at least one reserved seat within the Assembly. In the Brčko District Assembly, two of the 31 members must represent national minorities. A national minority is made of people of the same or similar ethnic background, same or similar tradition, customs, faith, language, culture, and spirituality and close or related history and other features.

Sources : Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2001 (amended through 2022), articles 4.19, 4.21 and 13.4; Election Law of the Brčko District, 2008 (amended through 2018), articles 7 and 8.2

Term of elections
  • Term length: 4 years
  • Last local elections: 2020
  • Next local elections: 2024
Electoral management body

BiH Central Election Commission

National legal framework on local government
National legal framework
  • Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1995 (amended through 2009); 
  • Constitution of Republika Srpska, 1992 (amended through 2011);
  • Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1994 (amended through 2008); 
  • Constitution of Una-Sana Canton, 1995 (amended through 2003);  
  • Constitution of Posavina Canton, 1996 (amended through 2021);
  • Constitution of Tuzla Canton, 1997 (amended through 2004);
  • Constitution of Bosnian Podrinje Canton – Goražde, 1997 (amended through 2004);
  • Constitution of Zenica-Doboj Canton, 1996 (amended through 2004);
  • Constitution of Central Bosnia Canton, 1997 (amended through 2004);
  • Constitution of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, 1996 (amended through 2004);
  • Constitution of Western Herzegovina Canton, 1996 (amended through 2011);
  • Constitution of Sarajevo Canton, 1996 (amended through 2017);
  • Constitution of Canton 10, 1996 (amended through 2005);
  • Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2001 (amended through 2022);
  • Gender Equality Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina,  2003 (amended through 2009);
  • Statute of the Brčko District, 2008 (amended through 2009);
  • Principles of Local Self-Government Law of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2006 (amended through 2009);
  • Law on Local Self-Government of the Republika Srpska, 2016 (amended through 2021);
  • Election Law of the Brčko District, 2008 (amended through 2018);
  • Election Law of the Republika Srpska, 2002 (amended through 2012).
Constitutional provisions on local government

The provisions on municipalities are included in the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Constitution of the Republika Srpska. The 2009 Amendment to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina had defined that Brčko District “exists under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is subject to the responsibilities of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina as those responsibilities derive from this Constitution, is a unit of local self-government with its own institutions, laws and regulations”.

Legislative provisions on local government

The National Assembly of Republika Srpska, the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the cantonal assemblies are responsible for establishing the legal framework on local government. The key pieces of legislation that regulate local government are the 2006 Principles of Local Self-Government Law of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (amended through 2009), the Statute of the Brčko District of 2008 (amended through 2009) and the Law on Local Self-Government of the Republika Srpska of 2016 (amended through 2019). According to Article 1 of the Principles of Local Self-Government Law of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, “local self-government stands for the right and capability of local units of self-government, within the legal boundaries, to regulate and manage certain public activities in accordance with their inherent responsibilities and in the interest of the local population.”

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2023.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 3 October 2023.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2023.

4. IPU and UN Women: Data on share of women in ministerial positions as of 1 January 2023 (figures correspond to the Government appointed in January 2023 following elections held in 2022).

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2023.