3 GeoFroggy

Country Name

Conventional long form: none

Conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Local long form: none

Local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina

Former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abbreviation: BiH

Administrative Divisions

2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally supervised district* - the Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine), the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska, Brcko District (Brcko Distrikt)*; note - Brcko District is in northeastern Bosnia and is a self-governing administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina and formally held in condominium between the two entities

Independence

1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence completed on 1 March 1992; independence declared on 3 March 1992)

National Holiday

National Day (Statehood Day), 25 November (1943); note - observed only in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity

Constitution

14 December 1995 (constitution included as part of the Dayton Peace Accords); amended several times, last in 2003; note - each of the entities has its own constitution (2011)

Legal System

civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts

International Law Organization Participation

Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage

18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Dragan COVIC (chairman since 17 July 2015; presidency member since 17 November 2014 - Croat) ; other members of the three-member presidency rotate every eight months

Head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Denis ZVIZDIC (since 11 February 2015)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman, approved by the state-level House of Representatives

Elections:

Election results: percent of vote - Mladen IVANIC 48.7% - Serb seat; Dragan COVIC 52.2% - Croat seat; Bakir IZETBEGOVIC 32.9% - Bosniak seat

Note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Marinko CAVARA (since 11 February 2015); Vice Presidents Melika MAHMUTBEGOVIC (since 11 February 2015), Milan DUNOVIC (since 11 February 2015); President of the Republika Srpska Milorad DODIK (since 15 November 2010); Vice Presidents Ramiz SALKIC (since 24 November 2014), Josip JERKOVIC (since 24 November 2014)

Legislative Branch

Description: bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members designated by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Peoples and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve 4-year terms) and the state-level House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats to include 28 seats allocated to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 to the Republika Srpska; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms); note - the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that consists of the House of Peoples (58 seats - 17 Bosniak, 17 Croat, 17 Serb, 7 other) and the House of Representatives (98 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms); Republika Srpska's unicameral legislature is the National Assembly (83 directly elected delegates serve four-year terms)

Elections: House of Peoples - last constituted in 11 February 2015 (next likely to be constituted in 2018); state-level House of Representatives - election last held on 12 October 2014 (next to be held in October 2018)

Election results: House of Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - NA; state-level House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - Federation votes

Judicial Branch

Highest court(s): BiH Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members); Court of BiH (consists of 44 national judges and 7 international judges organized into 3 divisions - Administrative, Appellate, and Criminal, which includes a War Crimes Chamber)

Judge selection and term of office: BiH Constitutional Court judges - 4 selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives, 2 selected by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and 3 non-Bosnian judges selected by the president of the European Court of Human Rights; Court of BiH president and national judges appointed by the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council; Court of BiH president appointed for renewable 6-year term; other national judges appointed to serve until age 70; international judges recommended by the president of the Court of BiH and appointed by the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina; international judges appointed to serve until age 70

Subordinate courts: the Federation has 10 cantonal courts plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has a supreme court, 5 district courts, and a number of municipal courts

Political Parties and Leaders

Social Democratic Party of BiH or SDP BiH [Nermin NIKSIC]

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Other: war veterans; displaced persons associations; family associations of missing persons; private media

Flag Description

A wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle; the triangle approximates the shape of the country and its three points stand for the constituent peoples - Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs; the stars represent Europe and are meant to be continuous (thus the half stars at top and bottom); the colors (white, blue, and yellow) are often associated with neutrality and peace, and traditionally are linked with Bosnia

National Symbols

Golden lily; national colors: blue, yellow, white

National Anthem

Lyrics:

Note: music adopted 1999; lyrics accepted 2009 but not yet approved

: undefined

Year

Government Type

  • Federal democratic republic

Capital

  • Name
    Sarajevo
  • Geographic Coordinates
    43 52 N, 18 25 E
  • Time Difference
    UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
  • Daylight Saving Time
    +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Diplomatic Representation in the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Jadranka NEGODIC (since 19 July 2012)
  • Chancery
    2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
  • Telephone
    [1] (202) 337-1500
  • FAX
    [1] (202) 337-1502
  • Consulate(s) General
    Chicago, New York

Diplomatic Representation from the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Maureen CORMACK (since 16 January 2015)
  • Embassy
    1 Robert C. Frasure Street, 71000 Sarajevo
  • Mailing Address
    use embassy street address
  • Telephone
    [387] (33) 704-000
  • FAX
    [387] (33) 659-722
  • Branch Office(s)
    Banja Luka, Mostar

International Organization Participation

  • BIS
  • CD
  • CE
  • CEI
  • EAPC
  • EBRD
  • FAO
  • G-77
  • IAEA
  • IBRD
  • ICAO
  • ICC (NGOs)
  • ICCt
  • ICRM
  • IDA
  • IFAD
  • IFC
  • IFRCS
  • ILO
  • IMF
  • IMO
  • IMSO
  • Interpol
  • IOC
  • IOM
  • IPU
  • ISO
  • ITSO
  • ITU
  • ITUC (NGOs)
  • MIGA
  • MINUSMA
  • MONUSCO
  • NAM (observer)
  • OAS (observer)
  • OIC (observer)
  • OIF (observer)
  • OPCW
  • OSCE
  • PFP
  • SELEC
  • UN
  • UNCTAD
  • UNESCO
  • UNIDO
  • UNWTO
  • UPU
  • WCO
  • WHO
  • WIPO
  • WMO
  • WTO (observer)