Marinko Čavara (born 2 February 1967) is a Bosnian Croat politician who is a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. He previously served as the 10th

president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents the Federation and is the head of the federal executive power. Term of the Federal President is 4 years. The post was established in March 1994. The election of the Federal Pr ...

from 2015 to 2023. Čavara was a member of both the Federal House of Peoples and Federal House of Representatives as well. He is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union.

Early life

Marinko Čavara was born in

Busovača Busovača () is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located from Sarajevo, from Zenica, and from Travnik. History During the Croat� ...

to Niko and Anđa Čavara on 2 February 1967. He attended elementary school in Busovača, graduating in 1981. He continued his education in engineering high school in Busovača and graduated in 1985. He then attended the

University of Zenica University of Zenica ( Bosnian: ''Univerzitet u Zenici'') is a public university located in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The university was founded in 2000, when faculties in Zenica decided to separate from the University of Sarajevo. Histor ...

in the Faculty of Engineering. He graduated in 1991. In 1991, he worked as a professor of engineering and physics in a high school in Busovača. In 1992, he became the director of the Busovača post. During the Bosnian War, Čavara was municipal commissioner for war production and workers involved in war production in central Bosnia and head of the municipal Civil Protection.

Political career

In 1990, Čavara joined the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH). Between 1994 and 1995, he was Vice-President of the HDZ BiH. In 2002, he was once again named Vice-President and President of HDZ BiH in

. In 1997, Čavara was elected to the Busovača Municipal Council. At the 2000 parliamentary election, he was elected to the Assembly of the Central Bosnia Canton. In the election held two years later, he saved his position in the Assembly. As of 1996, he worked as Deputy Minister for Traffic and Connection in the Central Bosnia Canton. In 2001, his ministry was dismissed and Čavara was named Deputy Director of the Cantonal Directorate for Roads and was later named Director. He worked in this office until 2005. Between 2005 and 2006 he was an advisor to

Ivo Miro Jović Ivo Miro Jović (born 15 July 1950) is a Bosnian Croat former politician who served as the 5th Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2005 to 2006. He was a member of both the national House of Peoples and House of Repre ...

, who was, at the time, the Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From May 2006 until February 2007, he was a member of the Federal House of Peoples. At the 2006 general election, Čavara won a seat in the Federal House of Representatives and was named its Vice-President.

President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2015–2023)

Following the 2014 general election, Čavara was appointed as

, one of the two autonomous entities that compose Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking office on 9 February 2015. Since 2019, he has refused to appoint judges to the Federal Constitutional Court, impairing its functionality, as the Court does not have enough judges to run its panel on vital national interests. This issue has been included also in the yearly reports by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

. On 6 June 2022, Čavara was added by the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

to the

Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List The Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, also known as the SDN List, is a United States government sanctions/embargo measure targeting U.S.-designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, a ...

of individuals whose assets are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them. Čavara was designated under Executive Order 14033, which targets persons who threaten the stability of the

Western Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

region through corruption, criminal activity, and other destabilizing behavior. The designation states that:

"Čavara’s refusal to nominate judges to fill vacancies in the Federal Constitutional Court has blocked the function of the Court’s Vital National Interest panel, a body of the Federal Constitutional Court judges created by 2002 amendments to the Federal Constitution by the
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were created in 1995 immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement which ended the 1992–1995 Bos ...
that is intended to address key issues raised by delegates in the Federal House of Peoples. This has prevented key reforms and hindered democratic processes or institutions. Such failures in governance impact the well-being, prosperity, and rights of citizens across the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina."

On 28 February 2023, Čavara was succeeded by

Lidija Bradara Lidija Bradara (born 17 August 1971) is a Bosnian Croat politician. She is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union and since 28 February 2019, has been a member of the national House of Peoples. See also *Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia an ...

as president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Personal life

Marinko is married to Ivanka Čavara, and together they have three children, one daughter, and two sons.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cavara, Marinko 1967 births Living people People from Busovača Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Politicians of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Presidents of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Members of the House of Representatives (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List