Bosnia and Herzegovina Politics

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a highly decentralized and power-sharing constitutional system created by the postwar settlement. The state presidency is collective rather than vested in a single permanent president, and executive authority is also exercised through a Council of Ministers. Representation and decision-making are structured to balance the country's constituent peoples and two main entities, with additional institutions at entity, cantonal, and local levels.

Legislative authority is exercised through a bicameral national parliament. The two chambers share responsibility for passing laws and approving public finances, with their precise powers and methods of selection defined by the constitution. Parliamentary committees and plenary sessions provide formal mechanisms for scrutiny, while the courts are institutionally separate and may review government action as permitted by law.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is organized on a federal basis, so constitutional authority is divided between national institutions and constituent states, regions, provinces, or other federal units. Those subnational governments have their own legally protected responsibilities, while defense, foreign affairs, national finance, and other sovereign functions remain principally at the federal level. Political authority is exercised through the constitutional institutions described above, with elections, parliamentary confidence, or other constitutional procedures determining who holds office.