Demokratska tranzicija i izborni sistem u Bosni i Hercegovini: ideje za jačanje predstavničke funkcije Parlamentarne skupštine Bosne i Hercegovine
Democratic Transition and Electoral Systems - Ideas for Strengthening the Representative Role of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author(s): Elmir Sadiković
Subject(s): Constitutional Law, Political history, Government/Political systems, Electoral systems, Political behavior, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Present Times (2010 - today)
Published by: Akademija Nauka i Umjetnosti Bosne i Hercegovine
Keywords: Bosnia and Herzegovina; political system; Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina; parliamentarism; electoral system;
Summary/Abstract: As the highest legislative body, the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the central institution of the political system and the only sovereign authority in the state. In exercising its basic constitutional competencies: political representation, law-making and control over the executive, the Parliamentary Assembly does not fulfill its role in full capacity. The lack of democratic parliamentarism tradition and especially the inability of the party elites to reach consensus on the most important issues of the political and social development diminish the political power of parliament as a center of political decision-making. In political practice, this leads to inappropriate domination of the executive and the concentration of real power in the hands of bureaucratized political party elites. Reforms of electoral legislation can contribute to the democratization of the parliamentary institution and strengthen its role in the political system. These reforms would include a structural change in the way parliament is constituted by: redefining electoral boundaries; change the method of electing representatives by applying the open list system; to ensure a balanced political representation of marginalized social groups. This can create the basis for strengthening interest-civic political organization political behavior and at the same time amortize ethno-territorial political and social divisions.

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