Country name
conventional long form : none
conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina
local long form : none
local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina

Data code BK

Government type emerging democracy

National capital Sarajevo

Administrative divisions there are no first-order administrative divisions approved by the USGovernment, but it has been reported that the Muslim/Croat Federation is comprisedof 10 cantons called by either number or name - Goradzde (5), Livno (10),Middle Bosnia (6), Neretva (7), Posavina (2), Sarajevo (9), Tuzla Podrinje(3), Una Sana (1), West Herzegovina (8), Zenica Doboj (4)

Independence NA April 1992 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday Republika Srpska - "Republic Day", 9 January; Independence Day, 1 March;Bosnia - "Republic Day", 25 November

Constitution the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitutionnow in force

Legal system based on civil law system

Suffrage 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal

Executive branch
chief of state : Chairman of the Presidency Alija IZETBEGOVIC (since 14 September 1996);other members of the three-member rotating presidency: Kresimir ZUBAK (since14 September 1996 - Croat) and Momcilo KRAJISNIK (since 14 September 1996- Serb)
head of government: Cochairman of the Council of Ministers Haris SILAJDZIC (since NA January1997); Cochairman of the Council of Ministers Boro BOSIC (since NA January1997) NA
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairmen
note: president of the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:Vladimir SOLJIC (since March 1997); president of the Republika Srpska: BiljanaPLAVSIC (since September 1996)
elections: the three presidency members (one each Muslim, Croat, Serb) are electedby direct election (first election for a two-year term, thereafter for a four-yearterm); the president with the most votes becomes the chairman; election lastheld 14 September 1996 (next to be held September 1998); the cochairmen arenominated by the presidency
election results: Alija IZETBEGOVIC elected chairman of the collective presidency withthe highest number of votes; percent of vote - Alija IZETBEGOVIC received80% of the Muslim vote to Haris SILAJDZIC's 14%; Kresimir ZUBAK received 88%of the Croat vote to Ivo KOMSIC's 11%; Momcilo KRAJISNIK received 68% of theSerb vote to Mladen IVANIC's 30%

Legislative branch bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the NationalHouse of Representatives or Vijece Opcina (42 seats - 14 Serb, 14 Croat, and14 Muslim; members serve NA-year terms) and the House of Peoples or VijeceGradanstvo (15 seats - 5 Muslim, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members serve NA-year terms)
elections: National House of Representatives - elections last held 14 September1996 (next to be held NA); note - the House of Peoples are elected by theMuslim-Croat Federation's 140-seat House of Representatives (two-thirds) andthe Bosnian Serb Republic's 83-seat National Assembly (one-third)
election results: National House of Representatives: two-thirds chosen from the Muslim-CroatFederation: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SDA 16, HDZ-BiH7, Joint List of Social Democrats 3, Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2; one-thirdchosen from the Bosnian Serb Republic: percent of vote by party - NA; seatsby party - SDS 9, SDA 3, Democratic Patriotic Front/Union for Peace and Progress2
note: the Muslim-Croat Federation has a House of Representatives with 140seats: seats by party - SDA 80, HDZ-BiH 33, Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina11, Joint List of Social Democrats 10, other 6; the Republika Srpska has aNational Assembly with 83 seats: seats by party - SDS 50, Democratic PatrioticFront/Union for Peace and Progress 10, Serb Radical Party 7, SDA 6, other10

Judicial branch Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Alija IZETBEGOVIC]; Croatian DemocraticUnion of BiH or HDZ-BiH [Bozo RAJIC]; Serb Democratic Party or SDS [AlexanderBUHA, acting president]; Party for Bosnia [Haris SILAJDZIC]; Joint List ofSocial Democrats; Democratic Patriotic Front/Union for Peace and Progress;Civic Democratic Party or GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croatian Peasants' Party ofBiH or HSS [Stanko STISKOVIC]; Independent Serbian Democratic Party or NSDS[Milorad DODIK]; Liberal Bosniak Organization or LBO [Muhamed FILIPOVIC];Liberal Party or LS [Rasim KADIC, president]; Muslim-Bosniac Organizationor MBO [Adil ZULFIKARPASIC]; Republican Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina [StjepanKLJUIC]; Serb Civic Council or SGV [Mirko PEJANOVIC]; Serb Consultative Council[Ljubomir BERBEROVIC]; Social Democratic Party or SDP (formerly the DemocraticParty of Socialists or DSS) [Zlatko LAGUMOZIJA, president]; Socialist Partyof Republika Srpska [Zivko RADISIC]; Union of Social Democrats or SSDB [SelimBESLAGIC]; United Left of the Bosnian Serb Republic or ULRS [Mile IVOSEVIC];Yugoslav United Left or JUL [CAREVIC]; Social Liberal Party [Miodrag ZIVANOVIC];Serb Radical Party [Miodrag RAKIC]; Serb Patriotic Party [Slavko ZUPLJANIN];Serb Homeland Party; Party of Serbian Unity; Republik Srpska Independent SocialDemocrats [Branko DOKIC, president]; Serb Party of Posavina and Krajina [PredragLAZAREVIC]; National Democratic Union [Fikret ABDIC]
note : 82 parties are registered for the September 1997 municipal elections

Political pressure groups and leaders NA

International organization participation CE (guest), CEI, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), OIC (observer),OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Sven ALKALAJ
chancery: Suite 760, 1707 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 833-3612, 3613, 3615
FAX: [1] (202) 833-2061
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Robert BEECROFT
embassy: 43 Ul. Djure Djakovica, Sarajevo
mailing address: American Embassy Sarajevo, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7130
telephone: [387] (71) 445-700
FAX: [387] (71) 659-722

Flag description white with a large blue shield; the shield contains white fleurs-de-liswith a white diagonal band running from the upper hoist corner to the lowerouter side

Government - note Until declaring independence in spring 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovinaexisted as a republic in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Bosnia was partitionedby fighting during 1992-95 and governed by competing ethnic factions. Bosnia'scurrent governing structures were created by the Dayton Accords, the 1995peace agreement which was officially signed in Paris on 14 December 1995 byBosnian President IZETBEGOVIC, Croatian President TUDJMAN, and Serbian PresidentMILOSEVIC. This agreement retained Bosnia's exterior border and created ajoint multi-ethnic and democratic government. This national government - basedon proportional representation similar to that which existed in the formersocialist regime - is charged with conducting foreign, economic, and fiscalpolicy. The Dayton Accords also recognized a second tier of government, comprisedof two entities - a joint Muslim-Croat Federation and the Bosnian Serb RepublikaSrpska (RS) - each presiding over roughly one-half the territory. These Federationand RS governments are charged with overseeing internal functions. As mandatedby the Dayton Accords, the Bosnians on 14 September 1996 participated in thefirst post-war elections of national, entity, and cantonal leaders. The Bosnianshave been slow to form and install new joint institutions. A new Federationcabinet was sworn in 18 December 1996 and the new Bosnian central governmentcabinet was confirmed on 3 January 1997.

NOTE: The information regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bosnia and Herzegovina Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bosnia and Herzegovina Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.