The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Ethnic divisions have dominated politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) since the Dayton Accords ended the war 15 years ago. Protracted negotiations following 2010 general elections on forming governments at the state level and in the entities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS) reveal fundamental conflict on how the country should be constituted. Bosniak leaders wish to see a strong central government. Leaders in the Serb-dominated RS have reportedly threatened to remove Serbs from state-level institutions and cease recognizing key bodies in the Bosnian judiciary. Croat politicians increasingly vie for their own government entity.

Political leaders, in parties or in civil society groups, need to generate meaningful dialogue on how to reform Bosnia’s cumbersome political system. Instead, many politicians appear to be engineering a slow-motion separation of the country, heightening international concern over renewed conflict.

NDI's Democracy Support Program

NDI has worked in Bosnia since 1997, fostering democratic institutions and dialogue that move beyond ethnic issues. With NED funding leading up to the 2010 general elections, NDI supported reform-minded political parties in both entities to engage a wider spectrum of members, policy experts and the public in the development of sound, issue-based policies. NDI public opinion research helped parties target issues citizens cared most about to create responsive policy platforms on such issues as education, the economy, social services, health care, judicial sector reform and agriculture.

• Public Opinion Poll in Bosnia-Herzegovina, August 2010
• Public Opinion Poll in Bosnia-Herzegovina, October 2009

With companion USAID funding, NDI organized televised candidate debates in September, along with a series of local candidate debates, to provide parties and citizens alike a venue to debate concrete policy reforms on those issues which topped public opinion, such as unemployment and corruption. Party candidates used the NDI forums to debate professionally and constructively. The public responded positively to this new style, as viewership of the debates rose substantially with each subsequent broadcast—from 100,000 for the first debate to more than 400,000 in the third.

• Debates get parties focused on issues facing Bosnia»

NDI continues to focus partner parties on their roles as responsive political representatives, promoting dialogue through constituent outreach events on region-specific issues, such as unemployment in Sarajevo, educational policy in Mostar, or agricultural reform in Republika Srpska. It is through these types of issue discussions and debate at the local level that public dialogue can become more vibrant and less ethnicity-centric, and NDI’s partner parties will contribute to issue debate through inclusive policy development at the branch level.

Publications

• Bosnia-Herzegovina Democracy Assessment Report
• Centers for Civic Initiatives Final Report Domestic Election Monitoring General Elections Bosnia Herzegovina
• Preliminary Report on Municipal Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2000
• From the Perspective of Bosnian Citizens: Cross-Entity Civic Coalition Reports on September 1998 Elections in Bosnia

Contact Information

For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:

Sarajevo  
Nenad Simovic, Resident Senior Program Manager
nsimovic@ndi.org

Washington, D.C.
Kim Schneider, Program Officer
kschneider@ndi.org

Pictured Above: Moderators greet Azra Hadziahmetovic of the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina at a NDI-sponsored televised candidate debate prior to general elections in October 2010.