Bakir Izetbegović
Bakir Izetbegović (Bosnian pronunciation: [bâːkir ǐzedbegoʋit͡ɕ]; born 28 June 1956) is a Bosnian politician who served as the 6th Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2010 to 2018. He is the current president of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA).
Bakir Izetbegović | |||||||||||||||||
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Izetbegović in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
14th Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||||||||||||||||
In office 17 March 2018 – 20 November 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Dragan Čović | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Milorad Dodik | ||||||||||||||||
In office 17 March 2016 – 17 November 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Dragan Čović | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mladen Ivanić | ||||||||||||||||
In office 10 March 2014 – 17 November 2014 | |||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Željko Komšić | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mladen Ivanić | ||||||||||||||||
In office 10 March 2012 – 10 November 2012 | |||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Željko Komšić | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Nebojša Radmanović | ||||||||||||||||
6th Bosniak Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||||||||||||||||
In office 10 November 2010 – 20 November 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Nikola Špirić Vjekoslav Bevanda Denis Zvizdić | ||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Haris Silajdžić | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Šefik Džaferović | ||||||||||||||||
President of the Party of Democratic Action | |||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 25 September 2014 Acting: 25 September 2014 – 26 May 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Sulejman Tihić | ||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
Born | Sarajevo, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia | 28 June 1956||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Bosnian | ||||||||||||||||
Political party | Party of Democratic Action (1990–present) | ||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Sebija Građević (m. 1983) | ||||||||||||||||
Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
Parents |
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Residence(s) | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | University of Sarajevo (BArch) | ||||||||||||||||
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Born in Sarajevo in 1956, Izetbegović is the son of the first and only president of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović. He graduated from the University of Sarajevo in 1981, working afterwards in architectural firms. After serving as director of the Construction Institute of the Sarajevo Canton, Izetbegović entered politics in 2000. At the 2006 general election, he was elected to the national Parliament.
At the 2010 general election, Izetbegović was elected Bosniak member of the Bosnian Presidency. He was re-elected four years later at the 2014 general election. As both Presidency member and president of the SDA, he took part in many constitutional reform talks for Bosnia and Herzegovina. During his presidency, Bosnia and Herzegovina faced difficulties following the 2014 Southeast Europe floods, as well as having mass riots some months before the floods. Following the 2018 general election, Izetbegović became a member of the national House of Peoples. At the 2022 general election, he once again ran for a seat in the Presidency as a Bosniak member, but was not elected. He served in the House of Peoples until 2023.
A member of the SDA since its founding in 1990, Izetbegović has been a member of the party's presidency since 2002. Since 2014, he has been serving as the party's president. Izetbegović has been accused of monopolizing the party and silencing most of his internal critics, while drawing power into his own hands and those of a few close allies.