vizualinacija.BSBosanski

How is BiH governed?

One state, two entities and a district with special status. Explore where decisions are made, who chooses institutions and how their responsibilities differ.

Institutions and responsibilities, without parties or current officeholders.

Explore the territorial diagram
Bosnia and HerzegovinaState
Federation of BiHEntity
10 cantonsOnly in the Federation of BiH
  1. 01Una-Sana Canton
  2. 02Posavina Canton
  3. 03Tuzla Canton
  4. 04Zenica-Doboj Canton
  5. 05Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde
  6. 06Central Bosnia Canton
  7. 07Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
  8. 08West Herzegovina Canton
  9. 09Sarajevo Canton
  10. 10Canton 10
Municipalities and citiesLocal self-government
Republika SrpskaEntity

No cantonal level

Municipalities and citiesLocal self-governmentSelected
Brčko District of BiHSpecial status

A unit of local self-government under BiH sovereignty. Not a third entity.

Territorial connections, not a chain of command. Constitutions and laws divide responsibilities; Brčko has a special status.

Municipalities and cities in Republika Srpska

Local self-government · RS

Municipalities and cities exercise local self-government in Republika Srpska, without a cantonal level between them and the entity. They have their own assemblies, municipal or city mayors, administrations and budgets. A city’s organisation may include several municipalities.

Institutions and how they are chosen

Municipal or city assembly

Representative decision-making: adopts the statute, local regulations, budget and plans, and reviews reports of the executive.

Election / appointment: Citizens elect councillors at local elections. Special rules apply to the organisation of a city encompassing several municipalities.

Municipal or city mayor

Executive authority: represents the local unit, proposes and executes the budget, implements assembly decisions and heads the administration.

Election / appointment: Citizens elect the mayor directly at local elections under the applicable electoral rules. An assembly majority is therefore not the same as electing the municipal or city mayor.

Competent basic and other courts

Judicial protection: part of the RS judicial system, independent of the local executive; they are not departments of municipal or city administration.

Election / appointment: The HJPC of BiH appoints judges under the law. A local assembly does not elect its own court and cannot instruct judges on cases.

Institutions at this level

What is this level responsible for?

  • Utility activities, water supply and sewerage, waste, public cleanliness, lighting, local roads and other local infrastructure within the statutory remit.
  • Local development, spatial and urban planning, property management, the budget and local revenues under the law.
  • Local institutions and services in preschool education, culture, sport, social protection, and protection and rescue, under the statutory allocation of functions.

Important distinctions

  • There are no cantons or cantonal governments. Entity bodies regulate the system and exercise statutory oversight, but local self-government has its own remit.
  • The assembly and municipal or city mayor must cooperate, with separate responsibility for their decisions and the legality of their work.
  • Brčko District is not counted among RS municipalities: it has a special constitutional and statutory position.