|
|
|
|
Republika Srpska
|
| |
|
| |
Republika Srpska (Serbian Latin, Bosnian, and Croatian:Republika Srpska, Serbian Cyrilic: ????????? ??????) is one of the two political entities which represent a lower level of governance in the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the other entity is the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The de facto capital of Republika Srpska is Banja Luka, which is also the second largest city in the country; according to Article 9 of its constitution, however, the official capital is Sarajevo.
During the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, Pale was known as the de facto capital of the Republika Srpska, which was then called the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a self-proclaimed state led by former president Radovan Karadžic within the internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Republika Srpska is home to three ethnic "constituent peoples": Bosnian Serbs, Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Republika Srpska' Start a new discussion about 'Republika Srpska' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Republika Srpska (Serbian Latin, Bosnian, and Croatian:Republika Srpska, Serbian Cyrilic: ????????? ??????) is one of the two political entities which represent a lower level of governance in the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the other entity is the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The de facto capital of Republika Srpska is Banja Luka, which is also the second largest city in the country; according to Article 9 of its constitution, however, the official capital is Sarajevo.
During the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, Pale was known as the de facto capital of the Republika Srpska, which was then called the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a self-proclaimed state led by former president Radovan Karadžic within the internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Republika Srpska is home to three ethnic "constituent peoples": Bosnian Serbs, Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats. On January 9 Republika Srpska celebrates its patron saint St. Stephen.
Name
Although Republika Srpska is often translated as 'Serb Republic' or 'Bosnian Serb Republic', the government of Republika Srpska uses the term 'Republic of Srpska' in English translations of official documents.
History
In response to the secession of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Serb members of the Bosnian and Herzegovinan parliament, consisting mainly of the Serb Democratic Party members, but also including some other party representatives (which would form the "Independent Members of Parliament Caucus"), protested and abandoned the central parliament in Sarajevo, and formed the Assembly of the Serb People of Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 24, 1991, which marked the end of the tri-ethnic coalition that governed after the elections in 1990. This Assembly established the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on January 9, 1992. On August 12, 1992, the reference to Bosnia and Herzegovina was dropped from the name, and it became simply Republika Srpska.
Impact of war
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina resulted in major changes in the country. In the Federation entity, 50% of the houses were damaged and 6% destroyed. In Republika Srpska the number was lower, at 25% damaged and 5% destroyed. About half the country's population, of 4 million, was displaced. In 1996 right after the war there were some 435,346 Serbian refugees from the Federation in Republika Srpska, and another 197,925 had gone to Serbia. In 1991, 27% of the non-agricultural labor force was unemployed in Bosnia, and this had drastically increased due to war. Currently the unemployment rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina is estimated to 29%, according to the CIA world factbook. In 1996 unemployment in Republika Srpska was at 90%.
The demographics of Republika Srpska changed a lot during the war. Prior to the war Serbs were a majority in this region, but the war resulted in a drastic increase in their numbers, by 547,741 individuals. There was also a drastic decrease in the numbers of other groups, due to ethnic cleansing, most of which took place in 1992. The number of Croats decreased 135,386 individuals, and the biggest decrease was of the Muslims/Bosniaks, some 434,144 people. There were also people who were in 1991 listed as Yugoslavs. Since the war this classification was no longer relevant.
Geography
Boundary
The Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL) that distinguishes Bosnia and Herzegovina's two entities essentially runs along the military front lines as they existed at the end of the Bosnian War, with adjustments (most importantly in the western part of the country and around Sarajevo), as defined by the Dayton Agreement. The total length of the IEBL is approximately km. The IEBL is an administrative demarcation and not controlled by the military or police and there is free movement across it.
Municipalities
Under the Law on Territorial Organization and Local Self-Government adopted in 1994, Republika Srpska was divided into 80 municipalities. After the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the law was amended in 1996 to reflect the changes to the entity borders and now provides for the division of Republika Srpska into 63 municipalities.
Cities
The largest towns in Republika Srpska are [Population figures are given for municipal areas, not for urban ones][the town of Brcko is part of the Brcko District, which is part of both entities (the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina).
]:
Population geography
| Ethnic Composition, Including IDPs | |
| Year | Serbs | % | Bosniaks | % | Croats | % | Other | % | Total |
|---|
| 1991 | 880,171 | 54.4% | 466,458 | 28.8% | 150,414 | 9.3% | 122,122 | 7.5% | 1,619,165 | | 1996 | 1,427,912 | 96.8% | 32,344 | 2.2% | 15,028 | 1.0% | 4 | 0.0% | 1,475,288 | | 2006 | 1,267,000 | 88% | 127,000 | 8% | 58,000 | 4% | 7 | 0.0% | 1,439,673 | note1: "Other" is mainly people who declared themselves as Yugoslavs
note2: 2006 data is an estimate |
Unfortunately there have been no census since the end of the war, so there is no official data.
The next census is expected to occur in 2011, but has not yet been confirmed. These are population estimates.
- 1998: 1,428,798
- 1999: 1,448,579
- 2000: 1,469,182
- 2001: 1,490,993
In late 2001 48% of the Brcko District belonging to RS became a de facto separate entity.
- 2002: 1,455,446
- 2003: 1,463,465
- 2004: 1,471,529
- 2005: 1,479,634
- 2006: 1,487,785
Economy
Republika Srpska uses the convertible mark currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since a so-called "regulatory guillotine" it takes a few days to register a business in RS, in contrast to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it takes several months.
Foreign investment
An agreement on strategic partnership was concluded between the Iron Ore Mine Ljubija Prijedor and the British company LNM, a leading world steel producer. The Russian company Yuzhuralzoloto also signed a strategic partnership with the Lead and Zinc Mine Sase Srebrenica. Recent foreign investments include privatisation of Telekom Srpske, sold to the Serbian Telekom Srbija for (€646mln, and the sale of the petroleum and oil industry, based in Bosanski Brod, Modrica and Banja Luka, to Zarubezhneft of Russia, whose investment is expected to total US$970mln in the coming years. On May 16 2007 the Czech power utility CEZ signed a €1.4 bln contract with the Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske, to renovate the Gacko I power plant and build a second, Gacko II.
External trade
In recent years exports (not including trade with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) have grown significantly, and the level of import coverage has improved - from mln KM (€565mln) and 38.3% in 2005, to mln KM (€770mln) and 55.8% in 2006. In the first two months of 2007 exports grew 19% year on year, and imports by 39%.
Taxation
Since 2001, Republika Srpska initiated significant reforms in the sector of the tax system, which lowered the tax burden to 28.6%, one of the lowest in the region. The 10% rate of capital gains tax and income tax are the lowest in Europe and highly stimulating for foreign investment, and there are no limits on the amount of earnings. Increasing the number of taxpayers and budgeted incomes, and creating a stable fiscal system, were necessary for further reforms in the fields of taxation and duties; this area is a priority goal of the RS authorities. VAT has been introduced in 2006. Income tax is 46% in the RS, compared to nearly 70% in the Federation, and the corporate tax rate is 10%, compared to 30% in the Federation. These tax advantages have led to some companies moving their business to RS from the other entity.
Salaries
The average gross salary in August 2004 was 660KM (around 340 EUR). From 1998–2003, the average monthly salary in Republika Srpska increased from 280 to 660KM, according to the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Hercegovina. In January 2007, the average wage was 804KM (€400; gross) or 531KM (€265; .net). In September 2008, the average wage was 1175KM (€600; gross) or 783KM (€400; net)
Amid the economic crisis the average wage of R.S. was estimated to be 819 KM in February 2009.
Government and politics
Under its constitution, Republika Srpska has a president, parliament (the 83-member National Assembly of Republika Srpska), executive (with a prime minister and several ministries), supreme court and lower courts, customs service (under the state-level customs service), and postal service. It also has its own coat of arms, flag (the Slavic tricolor), and national anthem. The Constitutional Law on Coat of Arms and Anthem of the Republika Srpska was ruled not in conformance with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina as it states that those symbols "represent statehood of the Republika Srpska" and are used "in accordance with moral norms of Serb people". According to the Constitutional Court's decision, the Law was to be corrected by September 2006. The national assembly of Republika Srpska formed a board which is going to make a proposal for the anthem and coat of arms of Republika Srpska. Its flagship airline, Air Srpska, ceased operations in 2003.
Although the constitution names Sarajevo as the capital of Republika Srpska, the northwestern city of Banja Luka is the headquarters of most of the institutions of government — including the parliament — and is therefore the de facto capital.
After the war, Republika Srpska retained its army, but in August 2005, the parliament consented to transfer control of Army of Republika Srpska to a state-level ministry and abolish the Republic's defense ministry and army by January 1, 2006. These reforms were required by NATO as a precondition of Bosnia and Herzegovina's admission to the Partnership for Peace. As of December 14 2006, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a part of the Partnership for Peace-project.
Republika Srpska had its own police force, but in October 2005, the parliament consented to the creation over a five-year period of a single integrated police service at the state level, with local police areas that may cross the Inter-Entity Boundary Line if required based on technical considerations. These reforms were insisted upon by the European Union as a precondition for the negotiation of a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The leading Bosnian Serb party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), called on other political parties in Republika Srpska to organize a referendum on police reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The SNSD said the referendum should give a clear picture on whether the Bosnian Serb police should be dismissed or not in the process reforms under which a single police force is to be created on the state level. "I do expect that the answer of most of citizens of Republika Srpska would be no," Rajko Vasic, member of the SNSD leadership said. He also said the party, which won exactly half the seats in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on October 1 2006, would suggest the referendum on police reform as an issue to be discussed at the first next session of the entity's parliament. Earlier last year the leader of the SNSD and the current RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik said he would be ready to sacrifice negotiations with the European Union on the eventual integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the Union, if the RS police is to be abolished as part of the police reform on Bosnia's state-level. The parliament of the Republika Srpska voted 55 to five, with 15 abstentions, on 5 October to accept the EU's proposed police reform package.
External relations
On September 26 2006 Republika Srpska officials signed a 'special ties agreement' with Serbia aimed at promoting economic and institutional cooperation between Serbia and the Republika Srpska (RS). The accord was signed by Serbia's President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica, former RS President Dragan Cavic, and Prime Minister Milorad Dodik.
Tadic and Koštunica, accompanied by several ministers and some 300 businessmen, arrived in Banja Luka, the de facto capital of the Republika Srpska, on two special planes from Belgrade, in what was seen as the biggest-ever boost to strengthening ties in all spheres of life between the Republika Srpska and Serbia. The Serbian bank, the Komercijalna banka, and the "Dunav osiguranje" insurance company opened branches in Banja Luka and the Serbian news agency Tanjug also inaugurated its international press center in Banja Luka, in a day packed with business engagements.
The document sets out steps taken by Serbia and Republika Srpska officials to increase economic and political ties. It is similar to a previous one signed in 2001 between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska, which had envisaged close cooperation in economy, defense, education and dual citizenship for the residents, said a Serbian government statement. The agreement gives Republika Srpska, the same status with Serbia as the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a whole.
"This agreement will stabilize the relations between countries in the region and it will promote economic, political and cultural relations between Serbia and Republika Srpska," Cavic told reporters after the signing ceremony. Koštunica added "We have long waited for this day," and insisting that the agreement would not be "a dead letter on paper," but would "live and be useful to the citizens of Serbia and Republika Srpska."
Under the Dayton peace accord, which ended the Bosnian war in 1995, the country was divided into two entities - Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republika Srpska. Each entity was accorded most of the powers of a state and the accord left room for special ties between the RS and Serbia, as well as between Croatia and the Bosnian Croats.
Representative offices
On February 12 2009 Republika Srpska opened a new representative office in Brussels. While EU representatives were not present at the time, all top Republika Srpska officials attended the opening ceremony, saying it would advance their economic, political and cultural relations with the European Union. This notion has been strongly condemned by Bosniak leaders saying that this is further proof of Republika Srpska distancing itself from Bosnia and Herzegovina. President Rajko Kuzmanovic, on the other hand, told reporters that this move does not jeopardize Republika Srpska's place within Bosnia and Herzegovina. He added that Republika Srpska just used its constitutional right "to open up a representation office in the center of developments with European relevance." Republika Srpska already has four other representation offices: in Belgrade, Jerusalem, Moscow and Stuttgart. The government has plans to open two other offices this year, in Washington DC and Zagreb respectively.
Gallery
See also
External links
|
| |
|
|
