Coat of arms of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
was adopted on November 5, 1996. The green background and the golden fleur-de-lis
represented the Bosniaks
, while the chequy shield
represented the Bosnian Croats
. The ten stars arranged in a circle represented the 10 cantons
of the Federation, even though there was a great resemblance to the flag of the European Union
. The Federation
entity is part of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina
which had its own coat of arms, while the other entity Republika Srpska also had its coat of arms.
, then Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, filed a request with the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the review of constitutionality of Articles 1 and 2 of the Law on the Coat of Arms and Flag of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of Federation of BiH No. 21/96 and 26/96), Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Constitutional Law on the Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem of the Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of the Republika Srpska No. 19/92), Articles 2 and 3 of the Law on the Use of Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem (Official Gazette of the Republika Srpska No. 4/93) and Articles 1 and 2 of the Law on the Family Patron-Saint’s Days and Church Holidays of the Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska No. 19/92). On 2 December 2004 the applicant submitted a supplement to the request. Two partial decisions were made in a year 2006, when the Court found that the coat of arms and flag
of the Federation of B&H, and coat of arms, anthem, family patron-saint days and church holidays of Republika Srpska were unconstitutional. In its decision, among other things, the Court stated:
The formal name of the item is U-4/04, but it is widely known as "Decision on the insignia of entities" (Bosnian: Odluka o obilježjima entiteta), since its merritum was about the symbols of entities. The Court has ordered the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the National Assembly of Republika Srpska to bring the contested legal documents in line with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina within six months from the publishing date of its decision in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the harmonisation was not done in that granted time-limit, that Court has, on January 27, 2007, adopted the Ruling on failure to enforce in which it established that the contested articles of the interpreted legal documents shall cease to be in force as of the date following the publishing date of the Ruling in Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On June 16 2007, the Government of Republika Srpska had adopted the provisional emblem of Republika Srpska
, until it adopted the new Coat of Arms of Republika Srpska. It had also decided to use the melody of its former anthem "Bože pravde
" as its new intermezzo anthem, but the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska has declared such use of melody as unconstitutional as well, so the new anthem, "Moja Republika
" was adopted. Both the new anthem (in relation to words moja zemlja - "my land") and new coat of arms have been contested by Bosniak members of National Assembly of Republika Srpska in front of the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska. The Court declared the coat of arms to be unconstitutional since it did not represent Bosniaks in any way, while it rejected the claim in relation to the anthem.
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two political entities that compose the sovereign country of Bosnia and Herzegovina . The two entities are delineated by the Inter-Entity Boundary Line...
was adopted on November 5, 1996. The green background and the golden fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
represented the Bosniaks
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
, while the chequy shield
Coat of arms of Croatia
The coat of arms of Croatia consists of one main shield and five smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield. The main coat of arms is a checkerboard that consists of 13 red and 12 silver fields. It's commonly known as šahovnica or grb...
represented the Bosnian Croats
Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina form one of the three constitutive nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.There is no precise data regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina's population since the last war. Ethnic cleansing within Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s saw the vast majority of Croats move and take...
. The ten stars arranged in a circle represented the 10 cantons
Cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina serve as the second-level units of local autonomy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the two political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
of the Federation, even though there was a great resemblance to the flag of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. The Federation
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two political entities that compose the sovereign country of Bosnia and Herzegovina . The two entities are delineated by the Inter-Entity Boundary Line...
entity is part of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted in 1998, replacing the previous design that had been in use since 1992 when Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence, and follows the design of the national flag. The three pointed shield is specific and is to symbolize the three major ethnic...
which had its own coat of arms, while the other entity Republika Srpska also had its coat of arms.
The Decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 12 April 2004, Sulejman TihićSulejman Tihic
Sulejman Tihić is a Bosniak politician, a leading member of Party of Democratic Action .Tihić was born in the town of Bosanski Šamac in northern Bosnia. He obtained a degree in Law from the University of Sarajevo...
, then Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, filed a request with the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the review of constitutionality of Articles 1 and 2 of the Law on the Coat of Arms and Flag of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of Federation of BiH No. 21/96 and 26/96), Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Constitutional Law on the Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem of the Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of the Republika Srpska No. 19/92), Articles 2 and 3 of the Law on the Use of Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem (Official Gazette of the Republika Srpska No. 4/93) and Articles 1 and 2 of the Law on the Family Patron-Saint’s Days and Church Holidays of the Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska No. 19/92). On 2 December 2004 the applicant submitted a supplement to the request. Two partial decisions were made in a year 2006, when the Court found that the coat of arms and flag
Flag of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The flag of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted on November 5, 1996. On the flag, green stands for the Bosniaks and red for the Bosnian Croats. The same goes for the coat of arms, whereon the green arms and golden fleur-de-lis stand for the Bosniaks and the chequy shield for...
of the Federation of B&H, and coat of arms, anthem, family patron-saint days and church holidays of Republika Srpska were unconstitutional. In its decision, among other things, the Court stated:
The formal name of the item is U-4/04, but it is widely known as "Decision on the insignia of entities" (Bosnian: Odluka o obilježjima entiteta), since its merritum was about the symbols of entities. The Court has ordered the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the National Assembly of Republika Srpska to bring the contested legal documents in line with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina within six months from the publishing date of its decision in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the harmonisation was not done in that granted time-limit, that Court has, on January 27, 2007, adopted the Ruling on failure to enforce in which it established that the contested articles of the interpreted legal documents shall cease to be in force as of the date following the publishing date of the Ruling in Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On June 16 2007, the Government of Republika Srpska had adopted the provisional emblem of Republika Srpska
Emblem of Republika Srpska
The Seal of Republika Srpska with the description:the flag of Republika Srpska and the letters "РС" , the red-blue-white tricolor are in the center of the seal, twisted with the golden Oak leaves, the Oak tree is traditionally sacred to Serbs...
, until it adopted the new Coat of Arms of Republika Srpska. It had also decided to use the melody of its former anthem "Bože pravde
Bože pravde
"Bože pravde" is the official anthem of Serbia, as defined by the Article 7 of the Constitution of Serbia. "Bože pravde" was the anthem of the Principality of Serbia and Kingdom of Serbia until 1918 when Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed. It was recommended by the Parliament of...
" as its new intermezzo anthem, but the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska has declared such use of melody as unconstitutional as well, so the new anthem, "Moja Republika
Moja Republika
Moja Republika is the entity anthem of Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On July 16, 2008 it replaced the previous anthem Bože pravde, which was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2006...
" was adopted. Both the new anthem (in relation to words moja zemlja - "my land") and new coat of arms have been contested by Bosniak members of National Assembly of Republika Srpska in front of the Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska. The Court declared the coat of arms to be unconstitutional since it did not represent Bosniaks in any way, while it rejected the claim in relation to the anthem.
See also
- Coat of arms of Bosnia and HerzegovinaCoat of arms of Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted in 1998, replacing the previous design that had been in use since 1992 when Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence, and follows the design of the national flag. The three pointed shield is specific and is to symbolize the three major ethnic...
- Flag of Bosnia and HerzegovinaFlag of Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina contains a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag...
- Flag of the Federation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaFlag of the Federation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe flag of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted on November 5, 1996. On the flag, green stands for the Bosniaks and red for the Bosnian Croats. The same goes for the coat of arms, whereon the green arms and golden fleur-de-lis stand for the Bosniaks and the chequy shield for...