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Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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For the historical political party, see Social Democratic Party of Bosnia–Herzegovina (1909).

Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Socijaldemokratska partija Bosne i Hercegovine
Социјалдемократска партија Боснe и Херцеговинe
AbbreviationSDP BiH
PresidentNermin Nikšić
General SecretaryEdis Dervišagić
Deputy Presidents
See list
FounderNijaz Duraković
Founded27 December 1992; 33 years ago (1992-12-27)
Preceded byLeague of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina
HeadquartersAlipašina 41, Sarajevo
Youth wingYouth Forum SDP BiH
Membershipc. 50,000[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left[3][4][5]
National affiliationTroika (since 2020)
European affiliationParty of European Socialists[3] (associate)
International affiliation
Colours  Red
HoP BiH
0 / 15
HoR BiH
5 / 42
HoP FBiH
11 / 80
HoR FBiH
14 / 98
NA RS
3 / 83
Cantonal Heads
0 / 10
Mayors
9 / 145
Website
sdp.ba

The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian: Socijaldemokratska partija Bosne i Hercegovine abbr. SDP BiH[6]) is a social democratic[7] political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is considered the successor of the League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Bosnian branch of the former League of Communists of Yugoslavia.[8] Initially established as a multi-ethnic party, the SDP BiH has since the early 2000s experienced a decline in support among Croats and Serbs, and its voter base has become predominantly Bosniak.[9]

In the period after the Bosnian War, the SDP BiH emerged as the leading non-nationalist party in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[10] The party achieved significant success in the 2000 parliamentary election, forming a ruling coalition led by SDP member Božidar Matić. However, in the 2002 election, the party suffered major losses and was pushed into the opposition. The SDP BiH returned to power following the 2010 general election, but once again lost influence in the 2014 election, following the 2014 demonstrations.[11] The party entered the government of the Sarajevo Canton after the 2018 election, and in 2020 formed the Troika alliance. Following the 2022 general election, the SDP BiH became part of the ruling coalition at the national level as well.

The SDP BiH remains the main center-left party in the country[12] and continues to advocate for a unified, multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina based on social justice and European integration. It is a member of the Party of European Socialists, Progressive Alliance, and the Socialist International.

History

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Origin

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Former party logo

The SDP BiH has its roots in the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, founded in 1909 during the Austro-Hungarian rule. The party was founded by workers to defend and represent their rights and interests, and consisted of members of all ethnic groups. On 20 April 1920, the Social Democratic Party became part of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.[13]

The SDP BiH was reestablished on 27 December 1992. The party was enlarged by the inclusion of the Social Democrats of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[14]

Timeline

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In the first post-war election in 1996, under Nijaz Duraković, the SDP BiH participated as part of the Joint List coalition. However, its candidates for the Presidency, Sead Avdić and Ivo Komšić, were not elected, and the party remained in opposition.

On 6 April 1997, Zlatko Lagumdžija was elected as the SDP BiH's new president. A major breakthrough came in the 2000 parliamentary election, when the party won the most seats in the House of Representatives. This enabled the SDP BiH to enter government and lead a coalition. On 22 February 2001, Božidar Matić was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers, marking the SDP BiH’s first major role in state-level governance.

After losing power in the 2002 general election, the party returned to opposition, where it remained until the 2010 general election. In that election, the SDP BiH again became a key governing party and participated in forming governments at different levels. During this period, Željko Komšić, elected as the Croat member of the Presidency in 2006 and re-elected in 2010, was one of its most prominent figures. However, internal disagreements weakened the party, and Komšić left in 2013 to found the Democratic Front.

Following the 2014 general election, the SDP BiH lost power and entered a period in opposition. On 7 December 2014, Nermin Nikšić was elected party president.[15]

Ahead of the 2020 municipal elections, the SDP BiH formed a broader opposition alliance known as the “Four,” together with People and Justice (NiP), Our Party (NS), and the Independent Bosnian-Herzegovinian List (NBL). The NBL left the coalition, so the parties left renamed themselves the Troika.

In the 2022 general election, the coalition supported Denis Bećirović as its candidate for the Bosniak member of the Presidency.[16] He went on to win the election with 57.37% of the vote.[17] Following this success, the SDP BiH returned to power by participating in the formation of a new government together with several parties, including the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats and the Croatian Democratic Union.[18]

Ideology

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The Social Democratic Party is a centre-left democratic party. The program vision corresponds to values and ideas of social democracy in Europe and the world. The SDP BiH is a civic party that is particularly interested in improving the social status of workers, rural population, students, youth, veterans, women, pensioners and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the diaspora.

Leadership

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# Name
(Born–Died) 		Portrait Term of Office Days
1 Nijaz Duraković
(1949–2012)		 27 December 1992 6 April 1997 4 years, 100 days
2 Zlatko Lagumdžija
(b. 1955)		 6 April 1997 7 December 2014 17 years, 245 days
3 Nermin Nikšić
(b. 1960)		 7 December 2014 present 11 years, 133 days

Elections

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Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Year Leader # Popular vote % HoR Seat change HoP Seat change Government
1996[a] Nijaz Duraković 4th 136,203 5.68
2 / 42
 New
0 / 15
 New Opposition
1998 Zlatko Lagumdžija 5th 159,876 9.26
4 / 42
 Increase 2
1 / 15
 Increase 1 Opposition
2000 1st 268,270 18.00
9 / 42
 Increase 5
3 / 15
 Increase 2 Coalition
2002 4th 128,212 10.43
4 / 42
 Decrease 5
1 / 15
 Decrease 2 Opposition
2006 4th 143,272 10.15
5 / 42
 Increase 1
1 / 15
 Steady 0 Opposition
2010 1st 284,435 17.33
8 / 42
 Increase 3
4 / 15
 Increase 3 Coalition
2014 7th 108,501 6.65
3 / 42
 Decrease 5
0 / 15
 Decrease 4 Opposition
2018 Nermin Nikšić 4th 150,453 9.08
5 / 42
 Increase 2
1 / 15
 Increase 1 Opposition
2022 4th 129,499 8.15
5 / 42
 Steady 0
0 / 15
 Decrease 1 Coalition

Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Year Leader # Popular vote % HoR Seat change HoP Seat change Government
1996[a] Nijaz Duraković 3rd 105,897 7.93
11 / 140
 New
4 / 65
 New Opposition
1998 Zlatko Lagumdžija 3rd 126,635 13.65
19 / 140
 Increase 8
10 / 72
 Increase 6 Opposition
2000 2nd 226,440 26.09
37 / 140
 Increase 18
37 / 81
 Increase 27 Coalition
2002 3rd 111,668 15.96
15 / 98
 Decrease 22
9 / 58
 Decrease 28 Opposition
2006 3rd 130,204 15.17
17 / 98
 Increase 2
12 / 58
 Increase 3 Opposition
2010 1st 251,053 24.53
28 / 98
 Increase 11
21 / 58
 Increase 9 Coalition
2014 5th 100,626 10.14
12 / 98
 Decrease 16
10 / 58
 Decrease 11 Opposition
2018 Nermin Nikšić 2nd 145,458 14.53
16 / 98
 Increase 4
12 / 58
 Increase 2 Opposition
2022 2nd 131,323 13.46
15 / 98
 Decrease 1
15 / 80
 Increase 3 Coalition

Presidency elections

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Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Election year # Candidate Votes % Representing Note Elected?
1996[a] 2nd Ivo Komšić[b] 37,684 10.1% Croats Support No
4th Sead Avdić 21,254 2.3% Bosniaks — No
1998 2nd Gradimir Gojer 113,961 31.8% Croats — No
2002 3rd Alija Behmen 90,434 17.5% Bosniaks — No
7th Mladen Grahovac 22,852 4.5% Serbs — No
2006 1st Željko Komšić 116,062 40.0% Croats — Yes
4th Jugoslav Jovičić 22,245 4.1% Serbs — No
2010 1st Željko Komšić 337,065 60.6% Croats — Yes
2014 4th Bakir Hadžiomerović 75,369 10.0% Bosniaks — No
2018 2nd Denis Bećirović 194,688 33.5% Bosniaks — No
2022 1st Denis Bećirović 330,238 57.37% Bosniaks — Yes
3rd Vojin Mijatović 38,655 6.1% Serbs — No

Cantonal elections

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Run as part of the Joint List.
  2. ^ Member of the HSS.

References

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  1. ^ "SDP BiH". sdp.ba (in Bosnian). 22 March 2025.
  2. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2018). "Bosnia-Herzegovina". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Europe Elects". europeelects.eu.
  4. ^ Nardelli, Alberto; Dzidic, Denis; Jukic, Elvira (8 October 2014). "Bosnia and Herzegovina: the world's most complicated system of government?". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  5. ^ SDP statute (page 2.)
  6. ^ "Socijaldemokratska Partija Bosne i Hercegovine – PES Member". The Party of European Socialists. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Parties and Elections in Europe". www.parties-and-elections.eu. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  8. ^ "About SDP". SDP BiH (in Bosnian). Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Key political parties and profiles of the main political parties running in the 2018 general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina". balkaninsight.com. BIRN. 24 September 2018.
  10. ^ Hulsey, J.; Keil, S. (2019). "Ideology and party system change in consociational systems: the case of non-nationalist parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina" (PDF). Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 25 (4). ISSN 1353-7113.
  11. ^ Keil, Soeren; Perry, Valery (1 June 2015). "Back to square one?: An analysis of the 2014 general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina". Electoral Studies. 38: 82–87. doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2015.02.014. ISSN 0261-3794.
  12. ^ "Bosnia and Herzegovina". Europe Elects. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Historija SDP BiH". SDP BiH (in Bosnian). Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Historija SDP BiH". SDP BiH (in Bosnian). Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  15. ^ E. Gorinjac (7 December 2014). "Nermin Nikšić je novi predsjednik SDP-a" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  16. ^ G.M. (21 May 2022). "Denis Bećirović zvanično kandidat opozicije za člana Predsjedništva BiH" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  17. ^ D.Be. (23 October 2022). "Bećirović dobio 116 hiljada glasova više od Izetbegovića, a Cvijanović sama više od svojih protukandidata skupa" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  18. ^ N.V. (25 January 2023). "BiH dobila novo Vijeće ministara, državnu vlast sada čini SNSD, HDZ, SDP, NiP, NS, DNS..." (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 25 January 2023.

Sources

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