Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
The Dayton Agreement recognized a second tier of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, comprised of two entities - a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb Republika Srpska (RS) - each presiding over roughly one-half the territory.The Federation and RS governments are charged with overseeing internal functions. Each has its own capital, government, flag and coat of arms, president, parliament, army/police/customs departments and postal system. The army and police sectors are overseen by state-level ministries of defence and internal affairs, respectively.
Inter-entity borders are not determined on natural geographical features of the region. Its borders were postulated as part of the political agreement that was based on ethnic division and are used to determine the extents of political jurisdictions within entities. On the ground there is no active border between RS and FBiH and one would generally not know the difference when crossing from one entity into another.
The city of Brčko in northeastern Bosnia is a seat of the Brčko district, a self-governing administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina; it is part of both the Federation and Republika Srpska. The district remains under international supervision.
The Federation is further divided into cantons, see Cantons of the Federation, which are then subdivided into municipalities.
The Republika Srpska is further divided into municipalities, which are then grouped into regions, see Regions of Republika Srpska.
Amendments to the divisions
On the grounds that the Dayton Agreement's framework is outdated, many groups have come forth with ways to redevelop the divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The agreement was designed to effectively end the war in the nation, but the divisions have made the bureaucracy of the country unwieldy.
Generally speaking, the nation's Bosniak population wishes for the state to be centralized, eliminating the Federation, as well as the Republika Srpska. Officials in Republika Srpska vehemently resist this idea. Many Serbs assume that if Kosovo achieves independence, Republika Srpska will separate from Bosnia and Herzegovina, eventually joining Serbia and Montenegro. However, the Office of the High Representative has come out and specifically denied the prospect of any such exchange. The creation of such referendum would be most unconstitutional. If such case would come about, even though chances are slim, the whole nation would have to vote, not just Republika Srpska. The Croats view the current situation as discriminatory, and seek either the abolition of entities and foundation of a decentralized governmental structure or a third entity.
Overview
See also
External link
- [A precarious peace], The Economist, 22 january 1998
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