Bosnian Elections 2010: The failing of a consociationalist system
Par Karine Gatelier le Lundi, avril 8 2013, 14:58 - Nouvelles du réseau / News from the network - Lien permanent
The political system of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia), created through the Dayton Accords of 1995 enshrines the principle of political power being shared between the three constituent peoples of Bosnia (Bosnian Serb, Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Muslim) at every level of government. By Alexia Stainer
Rather than securing representation for all the population and being used as a tool to create a unified Bosnia, this system has been manipulated by nationalist interests, allowing ethnically aligned political parties to maintain a hold over politics in the country. This can be seen through the results of the 2010 general election, and more particularly the months of political deadlock that followed. This article analyses the reasons for this deadlock, as well as its eventual solution and asks the question of how it might be possible to change the Bosnian political landscape.