Democratic transition and elections in 1990 in Bosnia and Herzegovina

What is it about?

For the 1990 founding elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina a variety of electoral systems, both proportional and majoritarian, were employed. With different incentives they attempted to reconcile inclusion and group representation, while fostering interethnic politics. Nevertheless, under high levels of transitional uncertainty and low levels of ethnic inter-group relations, the design of the electoral system alone was not enough to make a decisive difference in electoral outcome.

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Why is it important?

Utilizing newly available election data and a within-case comparison, the paper analyses incentives and outcome of different electoral systems under least-likely conditions of success. It offers a contribution to the debate on institutional design and electoral systems in multiethnic countries. Further, the paper introduces new evidence to the study of Bosnia and Hercegovina's 1990 elections.