The mandate of the current Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bećirović, Željka Cvijanović, and Željko Komšić, will be remembered as one of the most conflict-ridden.
From the first post-war elections in 1996 to the elected 2022 mandate, 22 politicians passed through the Presidency. The decisions of the High Representatives dismissed some, one ended up behind bars due to war crimes, and some, despite dismissals and indictments, returned to the highest state functions.
The first convocation included Alija Izetbegović, Krešimir Zubak, and Momčilo Krajišnik. Krajišnik is the only member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina who was finally convicted for war crimes. The Hague Tribunal sentenced him to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the aggression on the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Elections at the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Alija Izetbegović, Ante Jelavić, and Živko Radišić were elected at the 1998 elections.
After Alija Izetbegović resigned due to health in October 2000, the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina appointed Halid Genjac as a temporary member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, because the mandate of the convocation elected in 1998 lasted until the General Elections 2002. After the Alliance for Change took power at the state level, the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina elected Beriz Belkić as a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in March 2001, ending Halid Genjac’s temporary mandate. Belkić performed that duty until the end of the convocation’s term elected in 1998, namely until the 2002 elections.
The Croat member of the Presidency did not finish his mandate either. In 2001, the High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch dismissed Ante Jelavić for organizing “Croat Self-Government”, assessing that it was an attempt to undermine the Constitutional Order of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jozo Križanović was appointed in his place.
The new convocation from 2002 consisted of Sulejman Tihić, Dragan Čović, and Mirko Šarović. However, that mandate did not pass without the international community’s intervention. Čović was dismissed in 2005 by the High Representative Paddy Ashdown, after an indictment for abuse of power was issued against him. However, the political fall did not last long. However, the political fall did not last long. A few years later, he was re-elected to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and returned to the top of Bosnian and Herzegovinian policy.
Conflicts over Jurisdiction
Mirko Šarović resigned in 2003, following the “Orao” affair (Eagle), when it was discovered that the enterprise from Republika Srpska was exporting military equipment to Iraq despite the UN embargo. After the High Representative decided on his dismissal, he was succeeded by Borislav Paravac, while Ivo Miro Jović replaced Čović.
From 2006, the convocation of the Presidency stabilized significantly. Haris Silajdžić, Željko Komšić, and Nebojša Radmanović won the term at the time. In the 2010 elections, Bakir Izetbegović, Željko Komšić, and Nebojša Radmanović were elected, and in 2014, Bakir Izetbegović, Dragan Čović, and Mladen Ivanić entered the Presidency.
From 2018 to 2022, Šefik Džaferović, Željko Komšić, and Milorad Dodik were members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their term was marked by almost daily political blockades and conflicts over the jurisdictions of the state and entities.
Bećirović, Komšić, and Cvijanović – The Most Conflict-Ridden Convocation
The term of the current convocation of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bećirović, Željka Cvijanović, and Željko Komšić, will be remembered as one of the most conflict-ridden convocations since this institution was established following the Dayton Peace Agreement, marked by almost constant political conflicts, outvoting, dissenting opinions, and lack of consensus on key state matters.
Komšić Holds a Record Number of Mandates
Bosniak members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina were Alija Izetbegović, Halid Genjac, Beriz Belkić, Sulejman Tihić, Haris Silajdžić, Bakir Izetbegović, Šefik Džaferović, and Denis Bećirović. Croat members were Krešimir Zubak, Ante Jelavić, Jozo Križanović, Dragan Čović, Ivo Miro Jović, and Željko Komšić. The Serb members were Momčilo Krajišnik, Živko Radišić, Mirko Šarović, Borislav Paravac, Nebojša Radmanović, Mladen Ivanić, Milorad Dodik, and Željka Cvijanović.
Komšić is the record holder for the number of terms, having been elected four times – in 2006, 2010, 2018, and 2022. Alija Izetbegović, Dragan Čović, and Bakir Izetbegović served two terms each.
