One state, two entities, three presidents, ten cantons.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's constitution is Annex 4 of the 1995 Dayton Agreement. It splits power between a thin state and two strong entities, guarantees each of three constituent peoples a seat at every table, and gives an international official the power to overrule all of it. This section shows the machine and lets you run it.
The whole machine on one screen
Every box is a page. The High Representative sits outside the elected structure; the cantons sit only under the Federation.
Who chairs today
The chair rotates every eight months among the three members. Today's chair is computed from the published schedule.
Institutions
Composition, powers, how members are chosen, and the veto each one carries.
Office of the High Representative (OHR)
An ad hoc international institution responsible for overseeing the civilian implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Created in 1995 under Annex 10.
Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The collective three-member Head of State. It represents the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The executive branch of the national government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, responsible for carrying out state-level laws and policies.
House of Representatives
The lower chamber of the bicameral Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing the general populace allocated by territorial entities.
House of Peoples
The upper chamber of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, designed to protect the interests of the three constituent ethnic groups.
Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The highest judicial authority in Bosnia and Herzegovina, responsible for upholding the Constitution and resolving disputes between entities and state institutions.
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
One of the two highly autonomous constitutional entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a federal entity populated primarily by Bosniaks and Croats.
Republika Srpska
One of the two highly autonomous constitutional entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a highly centralized entity populated primarily by Serbs.
Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina
A self-governing administrative unit under state sovereignty, formally a condominium of both entities. The Final Award of the Brčko Arbitral Tribunal was issued on 5 March 1999 and the District was inaugurated on 8 March 2000; international supervision began with the First Award of 14 February 1997.
The ten cantons of the Federation
Each has its own government, assembly, police and education system. Republika Srpska has no cantonal layer.
The two entities and the district
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Established by the Washington Agreement in 1994, it occupies approximately 51% of the country's total area. It has its own president, parliament, government, police force, and postal system, and contains ten highly decentralized cantons.
Subdivided into 10 autonomous Cantons
Republika Srpska
Established in 1992 and recognized by the Dayton Agreement, it covers approximately 49% of the country's territory. Unlike the Federation, RS has a centralized government structure divided directly into municipalities without intermediary cantons.
Subdivided into 64 Municipalities
Brčko District
A neutral, self-governing administrative unit under the direct sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held in joint condominium by both the Federation and Republika Srpska since March 2000.
Self-governing neutral administrative unit