Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia is a young democracy and is still characterised by the ethnic conflicts that the country faced after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, and the following three-way war with Serbia and Croatia. The Bosnian democracy is constituted in a unique model, which was agreed upon as part of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. As part of this model Bosnia-Herzegovina is split in two ethnic states, The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srbska. The states have a high degree of autonomy, with their own parliament and presidencies. The national presidency is a three-part office with a Bosnian, Serbian, and Croat president, between which the office of the president rotates on an eight-month basis. The National Parliament is a two-chamber system, with ethnic quotas in both the lower and upper chamber.

The current political climate is affected by a difficult relation between Republika Srbska and the other parts. It can be seen through official markings of nationalist holidays, despite it being prohibited by the supreme court, approaches towards Russia e.g., by awarding Vladimir Putin their highest civilian order, the medal of honor, in January 2023, to the frustration of the EU and NATO minded national government. Republika Srbska has also threatened with independence and reunion with Serbia on many occasions. The freedom of press is also under fire in Bosnia, with increasing harassment of journalists and state control of the media.