Party of Democratic Action
Encyclopedia
The Party of Democratic Action is a Bosniak
national political party
in Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
, representing the Bosnian
Muslim
population (Serbs and Croats were represented by SDS and HDZ
, respectively) . The SDA party was the first Bosniak
party of national orientation in Yugoslavia
since the banning of the multiparty system in 1945 by the Communist Yugoslav Leadership.
The SDA achieved considerable success in elections after the fall of communism
in the early 1990s. It founded the newspaper Ljiljan
. The party remains the strongest political party among the Bosniak population in Bosnia and Herzegovina
, and it has branches in Croatia
and Serbia
(Sandžak
region). Former mayor of Sarajevo
, Semiha Borovac
, is a member of the SDA.
The party was criticized during the Bosnian war by Serbian and Croatian politicians and some Bosniaks. On the other hand, unlike Serbian Democratic Party's (SDS) and the Croatian Democratic Union
's (CDU) militants' treatment of minorities in the areas of their control during the Bosnian War, the SDA party reportedly did not engage in organized persecution of Serbs and Croats in the areas under its control, and the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches in Bihać
, Sarajevo
, Tuzla
and other cities remained intact throughout the war, compared to over 800 destroyed mosques by the Croatian and Serbian nationalists.
In November 2000 the party was defeated by the Social Democratic Party and other parties gathered into the "Alliance for Change", and found itself in the opposition for the first time since its 1990 creation.
The party is an observer member of the European People's Party
(EPP).
held on 1 October 2006, the party won the following posts:
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...
national political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
History
The Party of Democratic Action was founded in May 1990 by Alija IzetbegovićAlija Izetbegovic
Alija Izetbegović was a Bosniak activist, lawyer, author, philosopher and politician, who, in 1990, became the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served in this role until 1996, when he became a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving until 2000...
, representing the Bosnian
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...
Muslim
Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina are a little under two million in number and constitute 40 percent of the country's population . The modern Bosniaks, often referred to as Bosnian Muslims, descend from Slavic speakers who converted to Islam in the 15th and 16th centuries. Bosniaks are...
population (Serbs and Croats were represented by SDS and HDZ
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
, respectively) . The SDA party was the first Bosniak
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...
party of national orientation in Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
since the banning of the multiparty system in 1945 by the Communist Yugoslav Leadership.
The SDA achieved considerable success in elections after the fall of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in the early 1990s. It founded the newspaper Ljiljan
Ljiljan
Ljiljan was a weekly news-political and cultural „News magazine“ based in Sarajevo,the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded by the Party of Democratic Action in 1990....
. The party remains the strongest political party among the Bosniak population in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
, and it has branches in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(Sandžak
Sandžak
Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...
region). Former mayor of Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Semiha Borovac
Semiha Borovac
Semiha Borovac is a former mayor of Sarajevo, succeeded by Alija Behmen. She is Sarajevo's first female mayor...
, is a member of the SDA.
The party was criticized during the Bosnian war by Serbian and Croatian politicians and some Bosniaks. On the other hand, unlike Serbian Democratic Party's (SDS) and the Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
's (CDU) militants' treatment of minorities in the areas of their control during the Bosnian War, the SDA party reportedly did not engage in organized persecution of Serbs and Croats in the areas under its control, and the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches in Bihać
Bihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
, Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
and other cities remained intact throughout the war, compared to over 800 destroyed mosques by the Croatian and Serbian nationalists.
In November 2000 the party was defeated by the Social Democratic Party and other parties gathered into the "Alliance for Change", and found itself in the opposition for the first time since its 1990 creation.
The party is an observer member of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
(EPP).
2006 Elections
At the legislative electionsBosnia and Herzegovina general election, 2006
General elections were held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 October 2006. They decided the makeup of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency as well as federal, entity, and cantonal governments. As of September 2006 there were 2,736,886 registered voters. Of the 2.7 million voters, 1.7 millions are in...
held on 1 October 2006, the party won the following posts:
- 9 out of 42 seats in the House of Representatives of Bosnia and HerzegovinaHouse of Representatives of Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina , is one of the two chambers of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the other being the House of Peoples of Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe house of representatives of BiH consists of 42 members which are elected by...
. - 28 out of 98 seats in the House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaFederation of Bosnia and HerzegovinaThe 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...
- 3 out 83 in the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska.
- 1 out of 2 Vice PresidentVice presidentA vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
ial seats in Republika srpska. - 4 out of 83 seats in the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska.
- 13 out of 35 seats in the assembly of the Zenica-Doboj CantonZenica-Doboj CantonThe Zenica-Doboj Canton is one of the cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography:This canton is situated in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cantonal capital is Zenica and the other town mentioned in the name is Doboj, which is in Republika Srpska, but part of the...
- 12 out of 35 seats in the assembly of the Tuzla CantonTuzla CantonThe Tuzla Canton is a canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cantonal seat is in Tuzla.-Municipalities:...
- 12 out of 30 seats in the assembly of the Una-Sana CantonUna-Sana CantonThe Una-Sana Canton is one of the 10 cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the northwest of the country and has been named after the rivers Una and Sana. The center of canton government is Bihać.-Population:...
- 10 out of 35 seats in the assembly of the Sarajevo CantonSarajevo CantonThe Sarajevo Canton is a canton of the Federation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The capital is Sarajevo.The Canton is basically the metro area of the city it is named after that is inside the Federation...
- 9 out of 25 seats in the assembly of the Bosnian Podrinje CantonBosnian Podrinje CantonThe Bosnian Podrinje Canton is one of the 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography:It is located in the eastern central part of the country, in the region of Podrinje...
- 8 out of 30 seats in the assembly of the Central Bosnia CantonCentral Bosnia CantonThe Central Bosnia Canton is one of the ten cantons of The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography:It is located in the center of the country, to the west of Sarajevo...
- 6 out of 30 seats in the assembly of the Herzegovina-Neretva CantonHerzegovina-Neretva CantonThe Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is one of the 10 cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The canton mainly comprises the Neretva river valley area and parts of Herzegovina west of Mostar, its administrative center.-Municipalities:...
- 2 out of 21 seats in the assembly of the Posavina CantonPosavina CantonThe Posavina Canton is a canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the smallest canton, with an area of only 325 km² populated by 43,588 people , 83% of them are Croats. Its capital city is Orašje The Posavina Canton is a canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is...
- 2 out of 10 seats in the assembly of Canton 10Canton 10Canton 10 or County 10 is the tenth canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in the western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The capital of County and its president is in Kupres...
- The party won none of the 23 seats in the assembly of West Herzegovina CantonWest Herzegovina CantonThe West Herzegovina Canton or West Herzegovina County is one of the 10 cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Geography and population:It is located in the south of the country. It has a total area of 1,362 km2 and 81,523 inhabitants...