| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Skupstina / Parliamentary Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Predstavnicki dom / House of Representatives |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Dom Naroda / House of Peoples
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
3 October 2010 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the House of Representatives on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
At stake in the 2010 elections were all 42 seats in the House of Representatives. The parliamentary elections were held in parallel with those to the country's tri-partite presidency (one Bosniak, one Serb and one Croat) and the legislative assemblies of the two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dominated by Bosniaks and Croats (which covers 51% of the territory and 67% of the population) and the Republika Srpska, dominated by Bosnian Serbs.
In the previous elections held in October 2006, the then Prime Minister Adnan's Terzic Party of Democratic Action (SDA) won nine seats, followed by the Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) with eight. The Party of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDP) took seven and five seats respectively, while the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) and the Croatian Democratic Union-Croatian National Union (HDZ-HNZ) took three seats each. The Croatians Together (HDZ 1990), comprising dissidents of the HDZ, took two seats. The remainder went to five small parties, which took one seat each. Mr. Nikola Spiric (Serb, SNSD) became Prime Minister in January 2007. Mr. Nebojsa Radmanovic of the Party of Independent Social Democrats (Serb SNSD), Mr. Haris Silajdic (Bosniak, SBiH) and Mr. Zelijko Komsic (Croat, SDP) won the tri-partite presidential elections.
As in the previous elections, the 2010 polls were held in accordance with the provisions of the Dayton Agreement of 1995, whereby elections are conducted with ethnicity and residence-based limitations to suffrage. Citizens who do not identify themselves as Bosniak, Croat or Serb are barred from running for any elections. In December 2009, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that such limitations were "incompatible with the general principles of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms". The House of Representatives subsequently set up a working group to amend the Constitution and the electoral law, but failed to reach a consensus prior to the 2010 polls. Parties representing Serbs called for a split of the Republika Srpska from the rest of the country, those representing Croats called for the further division of the country along ethnic lines, while Bosniak parties insisted on greater centralization of the country. These contrasting visions remained the main issues in the 2010 elections. The country was also experiencing economic difficulties: gross domestic product (GDP) shrunk by 3.4 per cent in 2009 and the unemployment rate soared to 42 per cent in 2010.
In all, 39 parties and 11 coalitions participated in the 2010 elections. Most main political parties are set up along ethnic lines: Bosniak, Croats and Serbs. Only one major party, the SDP, led by Mr. Zlatko Lagumdzija (Bosniak), draws multi-ethnic support from moderate Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats living in predominantly Bosniak-populated areas.
Two Bosniak parties - the SDA and SBiH - were vying for seats once again in 2010. They pledged to fight for a united Bosnia and Herzegovina and work towards a stronger central government - a key condition for the country's accession to the European Union. The SDA, led by a moderate, Mr. Sulejman Tihic, endorsed Mr. Bakir Izetbegovic - son of the party's founder and wartime President Alija Izetbegovic - as its presidential candidate. Mr. Izetbegovic pledged to achieve peace and provide more jobs through economic development. He promised to stabilize the country by initiating a dialogue with the Republika Srpska, which was vehemently opposed by the SBiH of President Silajdzic (Bosniak). The latter described the Republika Srpska as a "genocidal creation" based on ethnic cleansing and called for its abolition. In addition to the two traditional Bosniak parties, the Union for a Better Future of Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBB BiH), led by media tycoon Fahrudin Radoncic, joined the 2010 polls. It pledged to provide a new political option.
As for the parties representing Serbs, the main forces included the SNSD, led by the Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska, Mr. Milorad Dodik, and the "Together for Srpska" coalition, which includes parties linked to Hague indictees Mr. Radovan Karadzic and Mr. Vojislav Seselj. Shortly before polling day, Mr. Dodik, who was a candidate for the President of the Republika Srpska, stated that "Bosnia and Herzegovina was created by force, under pressure from international factors" and thus there was "no basic consensus for a life together". President Radmanovic (SNSD) called for a split of the Republika Srpska.
Among the parties representing Croats, the HDZ of Mr. Dragan Covic and the HDZ 1990 (which draws support from Roman Catholics), led by Mr. Bozo Ljubic, were leading in opinion polls. The HDZ called for an autonomous region for Croats and was in a partnership with the SNSD to support each other's calls for greater independence.
In all, 56.49 per cent of the 3.1 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) concluded that the elections had been conducted generally in line with OSCE and Council of Europe standards, with the exception of the legal suffrage limitations.
Mr. Lagumdzija's SDP took eight seats, the same number as the SNSD, while another Serb party, the SDS, took four. Among the Bosniak parties, the SDA came in first with seven seats, followed by the SBB BiH with four, while the SBiH took two. As for Croat parties, the HDZ and the HDZ 1990 took three and two seats respectively. In all, seven women were elected.
In the tripartite presidential elections, Mr. Radmanovic (Serb, SNSD) and Mr. Komsic (Croat, SDP) were re-elected while the Bosniaks elected Mr. Izetbegovic (SDA).
Following the elections, the SDP announced that it would propose Mr. Lagumdzija (Bosniak) as the Prime Minister of the central government while the HDZ insisted that the new Prime Minister should be Croat since the two previous premiers had come from the Bosniak and Serb communities. The law does not provide for the rotation of the premiership among the three ethnic groups.
On 30 November, the newly elected House of Representatives held its first session. However, the House of Representatives failed on successive occasions to elect its new Speaker.
On 20 May 2011, Mr. Denis Becirevic of the SDP (Bosniak) was elected as the new Speaker (see note) of the House of Representatives.
Note:
During the legislature, the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives rotates every eight months among the country's three main ethnic groups. Mr. Becirevic (Bosniak) will be succeeded by Mr. Milorad Zivkovic (Serb) and Mr. Bozo Ljubic (Croat). |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 3 October 2010 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
3'132'231
1'769'249 (56.49%)
127'655
1'641'594 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Federation B. & H. |
Republika Srpska |
|
|
| Party of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) |
8
|
0 |
8 |
|
|
| Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDP) |
8
|
8 |
0 |
|
|
| Party of Democratic Action (SDA) |
7
|
7 |
0 |
|
|
| Union for a Better Future of BiH (SBB BiH) |
4
|
4 |
0 |
|
|
| Serb Democratic Party (SDS) |
4
|
0 |
4 |
|
|
| Croatian Democratic Union-Croatian National Union (HDZ-HNZ) |
3
|
3 |
0 |
|
|
| Croatians Together (HDZ 1990) |
2
|
2 |
0 |
|
|
| Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) |
2
|
2 |
0 |
|
|
| Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) |
1
|
0 |
1 |
|
|
| People's Party Work for Betterment (NSRzB) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
|
|
| Democratic People's Community (DNZ) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
|
|
| Democratic People's Alliance (DNS) |
1
|
0 |
1 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
35
7
16.67%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
|
2
7
7
22
4
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Legal profession |
8 |
| Economist |
7 |
| Physician, dentist |
6 |
| Education profession |
6 |
| Architect, surveyor, engineer |
6 |
| Journalism, broadcasting, media |
1 |
| Finance, management or business |
1 |
| Entrepreneur |
1 |
| Political officers |
1 |
| Agriculture/farming |
1 |
| Armed services/Police |
1 |
| Social worker |
1 |
| IT/technology |
1 |
| Trade union official |
1 |
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- House of Representatives (26.10.2010, 17.11.2010, 10.03.2011, 12.01.2012)
- Central Election Commission (26.10.2010) |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
