At stake in this election:

• 42 seats in the National House of Representatives (Predstavnicki Dom)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Three-person presidency Alija IZETBEGOVIC (Bosniak), Zivko RADISIC (Serb) and Ante JELAVIC (Croat) *
• Head of Government: vacant; NA **
• Assembly: Bosnia and Herzegovina has a bicameral Parliament (Skupstina) consisting of the House of Peoples (Dom Naroda) with 15 seats and the National House of Representatives (Predstavnicki Dom) with 42 seats.

* The presidency consists of three members, one Bosniak, one Croat and one Serb, who rotate every eight months.

** In February 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that the structure of the Council of Ministers was unconstitutional; a new structure is being negotiated

Description of electoral system:

• The Three-person presidency is elected by popular vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the House of Peoples (Dom Naroda) 15 members are elected to serve 4-year terms*. In the National House of Representatives (Predstavnicki Dom) 42 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.**

* The seats are made up of 5 Bosniaks, 5 Croats, and 5 Serbs. Members are elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly.

** 28 seats are allocated from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats from the Republika Srpska.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDPBH)
  Leader: Zlatko LAGUMDEIJA
  Seats won in this National House of Representatives election: 9
  Seats won in last National House of Representatives election: 4
• Party: Party for Democratic Action (SDA)
  Leader: Alija IZETBEGOVIC
  Seats won in this National House of Representatives election: 8
  Seats won in last National House of Representatives election: N/A
• Party: Serbian Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDS-BiH)
  Leader: Dragan KALINIC
  Seats won in this National House of Representatives election: 6
  Seats won in last National House of Representatives election: 4
• Party: Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)
  Leader: Ante JELAVIC
  Seats won in this National House of Representatives election: 5
  Seats won in last National House of Representatives election: 6
• Party: Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH)
  Leader: Haris SILAJDEIC
  Seats won in this National House of Representatives election: 4
  Seats won in last National House of Representatives election: 0

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections to the National House of Representatives last held: September 12-13, 1998

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 3,835,777 (July 2000 est.)
• Registered Voters: 2,523,485