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 are Bosniaks and Croats, while in Republika Srpska, the vast majority are Serbs. Due to the high powers the entities have and the political differences between the entities themselves, Bosnia and Herzegovina is described as a confederation.

Overview

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is split into 10 cantons, local governing units that were endowed with substantial autonomy, whereas Republika Srpska operates under a centralised government structure. While the state level holds a limited set of exclusive or joint responsibilities, the entities wield most of the authority. Both the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska control the majority of responsibilities 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.

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

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