Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brčko Distrikt Bosne i Hercegovine
Брчко Дистрикт Босне и Херцеговине
Location of Brčko District within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location of Brčko District within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates: 44°52′0″N 18°47′0″E / 44.86667°N 18.78333°E / 44.86667; 18.78333
CountryBosnia and Herzegovina
Established by final arbitration decision5 March 1999[1]
Statute took effect8 March 2000[2]
SeatBrčko
Government
 • MayorZijad Nišić (SBiH)
 • President of the AssemblySiniša Milić (SNSD)
 • International Supervisor[Note 1]Louis J. Crishock
Area
 • Total493 km2 (190 sq mi)
Population
 (2013)
 • Total83,516
 • Density170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
76100 (Pošte Srpske)
76120 (BH Pošta)
Area code(+387) 49
ISO 3166 codeBA-BRC
WebsiteGovernment website,
Assembly website
  1. ^ Brcko international supervision suspended since 23 May 2012[3]
Map of the District
Dayton boundary lines before the formation of the Brčko District

Brčko District (Serbo-Croatian: Brčko Distrikt / Брчко Дистрикт), officially the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: Brčko Distrikt Bosne i Hercegovine / Брчко Дистрикт Босне и Херцеговине), is a self-governing administrative unit in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Officially a condominium of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, it was formed in 1999 to reflect the multi-ethnic nature of Brčko and the surrounding areas and their special status within the newly independent Bosnia and Herzegovina. In reality, it functions as a local self-government area, much like the other municipalities in the country.[4]

The seat of the district is the city of Brčko.

History

The Brčko District was established after an arbitration process undertaken by the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1][2][5] According to the Dayton Peace Accords, however, the process could only arbitrate the disputed portion of the Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL).[6] The Brčko District was formed of the entire territory of the former Brčko municipality, of which 48% (including Brčko city) was in the newly formed Republika Srpska, while 52% was in the old Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Brčko was the only element in the Dayton Peace Agreement that was not finalized at the time. The arbitration agreement was later finalized in March 1999,[1] resulting in a "district" that was to be administrated by an American Brčko International Supervisor. Since 2006, Principal Deputy High Representative has taken over the Brcko supervisor role.

In the 1990s, the Arizona Market was created at the intersection of the IFOR north-south "Arizona" road and the east–west Posavina Corridor roads, bordering today's district, and became a commercial success.[7]

The first Brčko International Supervisor arrived in April 1997. Up to that time, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had a modest office headed by Randolph Hampton. During the interim time before the District of Brčko could be represented post-arbitration agreement, local elections were held, and humanitarian relief was provided with cooperation from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and ECHO. The District became known as a center for different state-building programs run by foreign governments, particularly the United States.

In 2006, under the Supervisory Order, all "Entity legislation in Brčko District and the IEBL" was abolished. The ruling made by the Brčko Supervisor Susan Johnson abolished all Entity Laws in the District, as well as the Entity Border Line. The ruling made the Laws of the District and the Laws of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina (including the laws of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina) paramount within the District.[8]

Following a Peace Implementation Council (PIC) meeting on 23 May 2012, it was decided to suspend, not terminate, the mandate of the Brčko International Supervisor. The Brčko Arbitral Tribunal, together with the suspended Brčko Supervision, continues to exist.[3]

Settlements

Demographics

Brčko District comprises 1% of the land area of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is home to 2.37% of the country's total population.

Population

Population of settlements – Brčko District
Settlement 1948. 1953. 1961. 1971. 1981. 1991. 2013.
Total 49,969 65,078 62,952 74,771 82,768 87,627 83,516
1 Bijela 2,539 1,923
2 Boće 1,253 1,270
3 Boderište 965 661
4 Brčko 17,949 25,337 31,437 41,406 39,893
5 Brezik 413 601
6 Brezovo Polje 1,393 1,292
7 Brezovo Polje Selo 335 251
8 Brka 2,044 2,234
9 Brod 1,042 1,286
10 Buzekara 430 268
11 Čande 377 321
12 Cerik 280 233
13 Čoseta 507 732
14 Donji Rahić 647 366
15 Donji Zovik 481 494
16 Dubrave 1,338 1,463
17 Dubravice Donje 396 315
18 Gorice 1,097 654
19 Gornji Rahić 2,167 3,403
20 Gornji Zovik 1,569 1,408
21 Grbavica 557 1,527
22 Gredice 303 1,109
23 Krepšić 1,156 696
24 Laništa 656 450
25 Maoča 2,886 3,030
26 Marković Polje 470 370
27 Ograđenovac 734 815
28 Omerbegovača 895 1,074
29 Palanka 1,394 1,439
30 Potočari 893 1,063
31 Rašljani 1,155 1,078
32 Ražljevo 341 233
33 Repino Brdo 246 247
34 Sandići 420 430
35 Šatorovići 1,238 1,472
36 Skakava Donja 2,272 2,037
37 Skakava Gornja 1,737 1,352
38 Slijepčevići 371 298
39 Stanovi 353 238
40 Štrepci 861 712
41 Trnjaci 313 245
42 Ulice 1,266 892
43 Ulovići 912 752
44 Vitanovići Donji 419 396
45 Vučilovac 700 254
46 Vukšić Donji 644 352
47 Vukšić Gornji 821 579

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of Brčko district:[9]

Ethnic

group

census 1961 census 1971 census 1981 census 1991[9] census 2013[9]
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Bosniaks 16,484 26.19% 30,181 40.36% 32,434 39.19% 38,617 44.07% 35,381 42.36%
Serbs 17,897 28.43% 17,709 23.68% 16,707 20.19% 18,128 20.69% 28,884 34.58%
Croats 21,994 34.94% 24,925 33.34% 23,975 28.97% 22,252 25.39% 17,252 20.66%
Yugoslavs 5,904 9.38% 1,086 1.45% 8,342 10.08% 5,731 6.54%
Others 673 1.07% 870 1.16% 1,310 1.58% 2,899 3.31% 1,999 2.39%
Total 62,952 74,771 82,768 87,627 83,516
1961 census
1971 census
1981 census
1991 census
2013 census

Government and politics

There are 31 seats in the Assembly of the Brčko District. The seats are divided as follows as of 2020:[10]

Constituency[11] Council[12] Mayor[13]
elected by Council
Party Popular vote % Seats Mayor Votes %
Brčko Party of Democratic Action 6,133 16.46 5 Esed Kadrić, SDA 22 71%
SNSDDEMOS 4,651 12.49 4
Socialist Party 4,396 11.80 4
Croatian Democratic Union 2,973 7.98 3
Union for a Better Future of BiH 2,574 6.91 2
People and Justice 2,514 6.75 2
United Srpska 2,307 6.19 2
Party of Democratic Progress 1,873 5.03 2
Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,749 4.70 2
Social Democratic PartyOur Party 1,643 4.41 1
Serb Democratic Party 1,638 4.40 1
Democratic People's Alliance 1,428 3.83 1
Minority candidate Alija Denjagić (535) - 1
Minority candidate Mejra Šečić (305) - 1
Total 37,252 31

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Final Award - Arbitral Tribunal For Dispute Over Inter-Entity Boundary In Brcko Area". Brcko Arbitral Tribunal. Office of the High Representative. 1999-03-05. Archived from the original on 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  2. ^ a b "Supervisory Order On the Establishment of the Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina". International Supervisor for Brčko. Office of the High Representative. 2000-03-08. Archived from the original on 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  3. ^ a b "Press Conference Following the Meeting of the Steering Board of the Peace implementation Council on 23/5/2012". 2012-05-23. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02.
  4. ^ "Is Brcko District a condominium, an entity or a municipality?". Office of the High Representative. OHR Brcko. 2003-05-12. Retrieved 2022-12-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ^ "Decision on the establishment of the Brcko District of BiH". High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Office of the High Representative. 2000-03-08. Archived from the original on 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  6. ^ Dayton Agreement, Annex 2, Article V Archived April 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Barton, Brooke; Herrero, Gustavo; Quelch, John A.; Rangan, V. Kashturi, eds. (2007). Business Solutions for the Global Poor: Creating Social and Economic Value. Wiley. pp. 55–59. ISBN 9780787988548.
  8. ^ "Supervisory Order Abolishes Entity Legislation, Ends Legal Significance of IEBL in Brčko District". August 4, 2006. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006.
  9. ^ a b c "Popis 2013 u BiH – Brčko District". statistika.ba.
  10. ^ "GRAFIČKI PRIKAZ SALE SKUPŠTINE BRČKO DISTRIKTA BIH" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  11. ^ The three-digit numbers in the municipality column are the codes used for the municipalities on the Central Electoral Commission site
  12. ^ (in Croatian)Council results from Central Electoral Commission site
  13. ^ (in Croatian)Major of Brčko Archived 2018-06-19 at the Wayback Machine