Full-text resources of CEJSH and other databases are now available in the new Library of Science.
Visit https://bibliotekanauki.pl

PL EN


2025 | 1(75) | 61 - 72

Article title

Foreign judges in the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Legal and political aspects

Title variants

Languages of publication

EN

Abstracts

EN
The article presents the analysis of the competences and constitutional position of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In case of this country, there are a number of unique political arrangements, because under the Dayton Peace Agreement from 1995, ending the bloody war, representatives of the international community play a significant role in political system. The Constitutional Court is a case in point, as one-third of the court consists of foreign judges. Starting the study, the author hypothesised that the presence and participation of these judges, on the one hand, allowed the Constitutional Court to avoid the typical purely ethnic division of authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina leading to ethnocratic solutions, but on the other hand, it indicates the still incomplete state sovereignty that has persisted for almost 30 years. The hypothesis was verified based on research methods appropriate to social sciences, primarily institutional and legal, as well as a case study.

Year

Issue

Pages

61 - 72

Physical description

Dates

published
2025

Contributors

  • WSB Merito University in Poznań, Faculty in Chorzów

References

  • BIEBER Florian (2008), Bosna i Hercegovina poslije rata. Politički sistem u podjeljenom društvu, Sarajevo.
  • CONSTITUTION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (1995), Office of High Representative, https://www.ohr.int/ohr-dept/legal/laws-of-bih/pdf/001%20-%20Constitutions/BH/BH%20CONSTITUTION%20.pdf (20.02.2025).
  • GAZIĆ Amar, OSMANOVIĆ Ilhan, ABAZOVIĆ Nordić (2023), Spečifisnosti ustavnog sudstva u Bosni i Hercegovini, „Anali Pravnog fakulteta Univerziteta u Zenici”, no. 32.
  • IŠERIĆ Harun (2023), Constitutional Court in Transition: The Future of International Judges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, https://constitutionnet.org/news/voices/international-judges-bosnia-and-herzegovina (01.12.2023).
  • IŠERIĆ Harun (2024), Foreign Judges on the Constitutional Court of BiH: Should They Stay or Should They Go? https://blog-iacl-aidc.org/2024-posts/2024/2/6/foreign-judges-on-the-constitutional-court-of-bih-should-they-stay-or-should-they-go (6.02.2024).
  • KRYSIENIEL Krzysztof (2012), W cieniu Dayton. Bośnia i Hercegowina między etnokracją i demokracją konsocjonalną, Warszawa.
  • MAKSIMOVIĆ Dragan (2023), Ustavni sud je samo jedan od problema, https://www.dw.com/hr/ustavni-sud-bih-je-samo-jedan-od-problema/a-67851044 (29.12.2023).
  • MARKO Joseph (2004), Five Years of Constitutional Jurisprudence in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A First Balance, “European Diversity and Autonomy Papers”, no. 7/2004.
  • MEĐUNARODNE SUDIJE neće napustiti Ustavni sud BiH, poručila potpredsjednica (2024), Radio “Slobodna Evropa”, https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/ustavni-sud-bih-valerija-galic/32871760.html (22.03.2024).
  • ODLUKA (2024) o dopuni Pravila Ustavnog suda Bosne i Hercegovine, „Službeni glasnik Bosne i Hercegovine”, no. 41/24.
  • PRAVILA Ustavnog suda Bosne i Hercegovine – prečišćeni tekst, „Službeni glasnik Bosne i Hercegovine”, brno. 94/14 i 47/23.
  • SMAILAGIĆ Nedžad, KERANOVIĆ Nermin (2011), Pravosudni sistem Bosne i Hercegovine, in: Damir Banović, Saša Gavrić (eds), Država, politika i društvo u Bosni i Hercegovini. Analiza postdeytonskog političkog sistema, Sarajevo.
  • STEINER Christian, ADEMOVIĆ Nedim (eds) (2010), Ustav Bosne i Hercegovine. Komentar, Sarajevo.
  • TADIĆ Mato (ed.) (2017), Ustavni Sud Bosne i Hercegovine 1997-2017, Sarajevo, https://www.ustavnisud.ba/uploads/documents/ustavni-sud-bih-1997-2017_1613428552.pdf (31.12.2017).
  • THE GENERAL FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995), Initialled in Dayton on 21 November 1995 and signed in Paris on 14 December 1995, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/e/0/126173.pdf (20.02.2025).
  • TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL (2021), Proces integracije BiH u EU: 14 prioriteta iz Mišljenja Evropske Komisije 2 godine poslije, Maj 2021, https://ti-bih.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Proces-integracije-BiH-u-EU-14-prioriteta-iz-Misljenja-Evropske-komisije-2-godine-poslije.pdf (31.05.2021).
  • USTAV BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE (1995), https://www.ustavnisud.ba/uploads/documents/ustav-bih-bs_1611076095.pdf (20.02.2025).
  • USTAV SOCIJALISTIČKE REPUBLIKE BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE (1969) sa ustavnim amandmanima i ustavnim zakonima, Sarajevo, https://radnici.ba/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Ustav-SRBIH-1963-sa-amandmanima.pdf (30.04.2018).
  • USTAVNI SUD BIH: Međunarodne sudije ostaju, duži mandat onima koji trebaju u penziju (2024), https://balkans.aljazeera.net/news/balkan/2024/3/22/ustavni-sud-bih-medjunarodne-sudije-ostaju-duzi-mandat-onima-koji-trebaju-u-penziju (22.03.2024)
  • VENICE COMMISION (2024), Opinion on certain questions relating to the functioning of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adopted by the Venice Commission at its 138th Plenary Session (Venice, 15-16 March 2024), Opinion No. 1176/2024, CDL-AD(2024)002, Strasbourg, 18 March 2024, https://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/default.aspx?pdffile=CDL-AD(2024)002-e (18.03.2024).
  • WANKIEWICZ Paulina (2024), Dispute over the justice system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, „Analyses”, Centre for Eastern Studies, https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2024-02-12/dispute-over-justice-system-bosnia-and-herzegovina (12.02.2024).
  • WILLIAMSON’S: Foreign judges are in BiH Const. Court because of RS authorities (2025), https://n1info.ba/english/news/williamsons-foreign-judges-are-in-bih-const-court-because-of-rs-authorities/ (27.03.2025).

Document Type

Publication order reference

Identifiers

YADDA identifier

bwmeta1.element.desklight-ccaadace-ced1-4e1c-8355-a37d78f39ce9
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.