Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine (Bosnian)
  • Предсједништво Босне и Херцеговине (Serbian)
since 16 November 2022
StatusHead of state
SeatPresidency Building, Marshal Tito street 16, Sarajevo
AppointerDirect election
Term lengthFour years
renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995)
Formation13 October 1996 (1996-10-13)
First holderAlija Izetbegović
Momčilo Krajišnik
Krešimir Zubak
SalaryKM 6,045 / 3,091 per month[1]
Websitewww.predsjednistvobih.ba

The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian: Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine) is a three-member body that collectively serves as the head of state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[2] Under Article V of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, defined by the Dayton Agreement in 1995, it consists of one Bosniak and one Croat member directly elected from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one Serb member directly elected from Republika Srpska.[3]

Members of the presidency serve a four-year term and may hold office for a maximum of two consecutive terms, although there is no overall lifetime limit.

While the presidency acts collectively as the head of state, one member serves as chairperson at a time. The chairmanship rotates among the three members every eight months, beginning with the member who received the highest number of votes in the election.

Current members

Since the 2022 general election, the members of the Presidency are:

Member Portrait Took office Party Representing Chairman terms[a]
Denis Bećirović 16 November 2022
(1st term)
SDP BiH Bosniaks 16 March 2024 – 16 November 2024
16 March 2026 – present
Željka Cvijanović 16 November 2022
(1st term)
SNSD Serbs 16 November 2022 – 16 July 2023
16 November 2024 – 16 July 2025
Željko Komšić 20 November 2018
(4th term)
DF Croats 16 July 2023 – 16 March 2024
16 July 2025 – 16 March 2026

Powers and duties

The Presidency is responsible for conducting the foreign policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina and representing the country in international relations. Its powers include appointing ambassadors and other international representatives, representing the state in European and international organizations, and seeking membership in organizations of which the country is not a member. The presidency also negotiates, denounces, and, subject to the consent of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ratifies international treaties.

The presidency executes decisions of the Parliamentary Assembly and proposes the annual state budget to the assembly upon the recommendation of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also required to report to the Parliamentary Assembly, at least annually, on its expenditures and may coordinate with international and non-governmental organizations operating in the country. In addition, the presidency performs other duties assigned by the Parliamentary Assembly or agreed upon by the country’s entities.

The presidency nominates the Chair of the Council of Ministers, who assumes office after approval by the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Each member of the presidency also exercises civilian command authority over the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina by virtue of their office.[4]

List of members

Term Election Members Party Ethnicity
1
(13 October 1996 – 12 October 1998)
1996 Alija Izetbegović SDA Bosniak
Momčilo Krajišnik SDS Serb
Krešimir Zubak HDZ BiH Croat
2
(13 October 1998 – 28 October 2002)
1998 Alija Izetbegović (until October 2000) SDA Bosniak
Halid Genjac (October 2000 – March 2001)
Beriz Belkić (from March 2001) SBiH
Živko Radišić SP Serb
Ante Jelavić (until March 2001) HDZ BiH Croat
Jozo Križanović (from March 2001) SDP BiH
3
(28 October 2002 – 6 November 2006)
2002 Sulejman Tihić SDA Bosniak
Mirko Šarović (until April 2003) SDS Serb
Borislav Paravac (from April 2003)
Dragan Čović (until May 2005) HDZ BiH Croat
Ivo Miro Jović (from May 2005)
4
(6 November 2006 – 10 November 2010)
2006 Haris Silajdžić SBiH Bosniak
Nebojša Radmanović SNSD Serb
Željko Komšić SDP BiH Croat
5
(10 November 2010 – 17 November 2014)
2010 Bakir Izetbegović SDA Bosniak
Nebojša Radmanović SNSD Serb
Željko Komšić SDP BiH (until 2012) Croat
DF (from 2013)
6
(17 November 2014 – 20 November 2018)
2014 Bakir Izetbegović SDA Bosniak
Mladen Ivanić PDP Serb
Dragan Čović HDZ BiH Croat
7
(20 November 2018 – 16 November 2022)
2018 Šefik Džaferović SDA Bosniak
Milorad Dodik SNSD Serb
Željko Komšić DF Croat
8
(16 November 2022 – present)
2022 Denis Bećirović SDP BiH Bosniak
Željka Cvijanović SNSD Serb
Željko Komšić DF Croat

See also

References

  1. ^ "Infographic: What are the Monthly Salaries of Presidents in the Region - Sarajevo Times". Sarajevo Times. 25 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Chronology of the Presidency of BiH". Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Constitutional and Legal Jurisdictions". www.predsjednistvobih.ba. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Article V – The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina". Commentary on BiH Constitution. Retrieved 12 March 2026.

Notes

  1. ^ Current 2022–2026 term only