The presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine, separator=" / ", Предсједништво Босне и Херцеговине) is a three-member body which collectively serves as
head of state
A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of state
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads
* He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English
* He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana)
* Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. According to Article V of the
Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: ''Ustav Bosne i Hercegovine'' / ''Устав Босне и Херцеговине'') is the highest legal document of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The current Constitution is the Annex 4 of The ...
, the presidency comprises three members: one
Bosniak
The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
, one
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
, and one
Croat
The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
.
The Bosniak and Croat members are elected from a joint constituency in the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: ''Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / ''Федерација Босне и Херцеговине'') is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities composing Bo ...
, whilst the Serb member is elected from voters in
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...
.
The three members elected at any one election serve a collective four-year term. Individuals are able to serve no more than two consecutive four-year terms, although there are no overall term limits.
Although the unsubdivided body is the collective head of state, one member is designated as
chairperson
The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...
. The position of chairperson rotates twice around the three members every eight months, with the candidate receiving the most votes overall becoming the first chairperson over the four-year term.
Current members
Powers, duties and responsibilities

The Presidency is responsible for:
*Conducting the foreign policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
*Appointing ambassadors and other international representatives, no more than two-thirds of which may come from the Federation;
*Representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in European and international organizations and institutions and seeking membership in such organizations and institutions of which it is not a member;
*Negotiating, denouncing, and, with the consent of the
Parliamentary Assembly, ratifying treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
*Executing decisions of the Parliamentary Assembly;
*Proposing, upon the recommendation of the
Council of Ministers
Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
, an annual budget to the Parliamentary Assembly;
*Reporting as requested, but no less than annually, to the Parliamentary Assembly on expenditures by the Presidency;
*Coordinating as necessary with international and nongovernmental organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and;
*Performing such other functions as may be necessary to carry out its duties, as may be assigned to it by the Parliamentary Assembly, or as may be agreed by the Entities.
List of members
See also
*
Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the presiding member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which collectively serves as head of state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Željka Cvijanović is the incumbent officehold ...
**
List of members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
This article lists the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina since the country's new Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Constitution from December 1995, adopted following the Dayton Agreement. The Presidency of Bosnia and Herz ...
**
List of members of the Presidency by time in office
*
Triumvirate
A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...
References
Notes
External links
Website of the PresidencyArticle V of the Constitution of Bosnia and HerzegovinaHolding Bosnian presidents accountable ''
ISN Security Watch'', 21 December 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Presidency of Bosnia And Herzegovina
1996 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Presidencies
Politics of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Collective heads of state
Triarchies