Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Name	Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Native name	Парламент БиХ / Parlamentarna skupština Bosne i Hercegovine
Legislature	Parliamentary Assembly
House type	Bicameral
Established	1995
Leader1 type	Speaker of the House of Representatives
Leader2 type	Chair of the House of Peoples
Members	42 (House of Representatives), 15 (House of Peoples)
Last election	2018, 2022
Meeting place	Parliamentary Assembly Building, Sarajevo

Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the bicameral legislature of Bosnia and Herzegovina, constituted under the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Constitution annexed to it. It sits in Sarajevo and enacts laws that interact with institutions such as the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Assembly's structure reflects the country's complex post-war power-sharing arrangement among Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs and intersects with the Office of the High Representative and international actors like the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

History

The Assembly traces its origins to the Dayton Peace Agreement and the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, negotiated in Dayton and signed in Paris. Early sessions engaged with reintegration issues addressed by the Contact Group and implemented alongside measures from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Through the late 1990s and 2000s the Assembly adapted to reforms promoted by the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights decisions such as Sejdić and Finci, and conditionalities tied to accession negotiations with the European Union and NATO Partnership for Peace. Political dynamics have been shaped by figures and entities including Alija Izetbegović, Momčilo Krajišnik, Radovan Karadžić, the Office of the High Representative, and later leaders from the Party of Democratic Action, Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Alliance of Independent Social Democrats. International agreements and interventions—such as the Bonn Powers, the Dayton implementation, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, and rulings involving the Venice Commission—have repeatedly influenced constitutional and electoral reforms debated in the Assembly.

Composition and Electoral System

The Assembly comprises two chambers: the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples. The House of Representatives is elected by proportional representation from multi-member constituencies corresponding to electoral units used in elections overseen by the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with parties like the Party of Democratic Action, Croatian Democratic Union, Social Democratic Party, Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, and others competing. The House of Peoples consists of delegates representing the constituent peoples—Bosniaks, Croats, Serbs—nominated by the parliaments of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska; party delegations often include members from the Democratic Front, Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serb Democratic Party, Our Party, and Movement for Democratic Action. Electoral law disputes have referenced the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and international instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights, prompting cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights and involvement by the Office of the High Representative.

Powers and Functions

The Assembly exercises legislative authority over state-level competencies enumerated in the Constitution annexed to the Dayton Agreement, including adopting laws on foreign policy, fiscal policy, customs, and matters pertaining to membership in international organizations like the United Nations and the Council of Europe. It confirms the Chair and members of the Council of Ministers and can express votes of no confidence that affect ministers associated with political formations such as the Party of Democratic Action, Croatian Democratic Union, Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, and Social Democratic Party. The Assembly interacts with the Constitutional Court when disputes arise over compliance with the Constitution, and its statutes must align with international commitments to the European Court of Human Rights, NATO, and trade regimes affected by the World Trade Organization. Oversight functions involve parliamentary committees that summon officials from the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and regulatory agencies.

Organization and Procedures

Procedural rules derive from the Assembly's Rules of Procedure, internal standing committees, and codified practices shaped by precedents and rulings of bodies such as the Constitutional Court. The House of Representatives elects its Speaker and deputies; committee chairs coordinate legislative drafting often influenced by ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations and the Ministry of Finance and Treasury. The House of Peoples operates through constituent people caucuses and a Chair who mediates between delegates nominated by the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the National Assembly of Republika Srpska. Parliamentary diplomacy includes interparliamentary groups engaging with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and delegations to bilateral forums with Croatia, Serbia, Turkey, the United States Congress, and the European Parliament. Procedural controversies have involved the Office of the High Representative and constitutional amendment proposals requiring complex supermajorities.

Political Groups and Party Representation

Political life in the Assembly is dominated by ethno-political parties and multi-ethnic formations: the Party of Democratic Action, Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Front, Serb Democratic Party, and other parties such as Our Party, People and Justice, and the Democratic People's Alliance. Coalitions and parliamentary groups shift across terms in responses to electoral outcomes, coalition agreements, and external incentives from the European Union and international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Parliamentary factions engage in negotiations over appointments affecting the Central Bank, judiciary nominations to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, and state-level policy formation tied to agreements with the European Commission and bilateral partners like Germany, France, Russia, and Turkey.

Legislative Output and Notable Legislation

Notable legislative acts include state-level laws on customs, indirect taxation under the Indirect Taxation Authority, banking regulation impacting the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and laws adopted to meet conditions of the Stabilisation and Association Process with the European Union. The Assembly has debated constitutional amendments in response to decisions by the European Court of Human Rights (Sejdić and Finci) and has passed electoral and public administration laws influenced by recommendations from the Venice Commission and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Key outputs also cover cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, laws on war veterans’ rights, property restitution linked to post-Dayton return policies, and fiscal legislation interacting with agreements involving the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and European Investment Bank.

Category:Politics of Bosnia and Herzegovina Category:Legislatures Category:Sarajevo