Denis Zvizdić (born 9 June 1964) is a Bosnian politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2015 to 2019. He has been serving as member of the national House of Representatives since 2019. He also served as Premier of Sarajevo Canton from 2003 to 2006.

Denis Zvizdić
Zvizdić in 2017
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
In office
31 March 2015 – 23 December 2019
President
Preceded byVjekoslav Bevanda
Succeeded byZoran Tegeltija
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
6 August 2019
Premier of Sarajevo Canton
In office
6 February 2003 – 16 November 2006
Preceded byNermin Pećanac
Succeeded bySamir Silajdžić
Personal details
Born (1964-06-09) 9 June 1964 (age 60)
Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
NationalityBosnian
Political partyPeople and Justice (2021–present)
Other political
affiliations
Party of Democratic Action (1991–2021)
RelationsAljoša Čampara (cousin)[1]
Alma materUniversity of Sarajevo (BArch, MArch, PhD)

Zvidzić was a prominent figure of the Party of Democratic Action, until he left it in 2021 to join the People and Justice party.

Early life and education

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Zvizdić was born on 9 June 1964 in Sarajevo. He studied at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Sarajevo, where he earned a PhD and in 2007 became a professor of architecture.[2]

Early career

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Zvizdić had worked at the Ministry for Environment and Construction of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), as well as for the Unioninvest Sarajevo Company prior to his political career. He was also Co-Director of the National Action Plan for Protection of Environment.[citation needed]

Early political career

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In 2003, Zvizdić became Premier of the Sarajevo Canton - his first major political appointment - and in 2006 speaker of the Sarajevo Cantonal Assembly.[2][3]

He was then a member of the Federal Parliament (House of Peoples, 2006–10; House of Representatives, 2010–14).[2]

Zvizdić was a member of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) from 1991 until 2021, after which he joined the People and Justice party.[4] He was a member of its Presidency from 2005. In 2009, Zvizdić was appointed Chair of the SDA Council and joined the party's Main Board in 2013. He was a member of the party Cantonal Board in Sarajevo (2004–05), and prior to that member of the Sarajevo Centar Municipal Board (2000–03).[citation needed]

Chairman of the Council of Ministers (2015–2019)

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On 31 March 2015, in a vote in the national House of Representatives determining the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 28 out of the 42 Parliament members voted for Zvizdić, 5 voted against and 2 abstained.[5] Zvizdić promised that his government would improve action on the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union.[3]

During his premiership, the SAA agreement with the EU entered into force on 15 July 2015, and on 15 February 2016, Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted its EU membership application.[6]

In July 2016, Zvizdić's government approved a comprehensive anti-discrimination law which has to do with LGBT rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, banning discrimination on account of one's sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. Later on, the Parliament adopted the law.[7][8] This came after the Law Against Discrimination was adopted in 2009, prohibiting discrimination based on sex, gender expression and sexual orientation. Furthermore, the law forbids harassment and segregation on the basis of sexual orientation.[9] The country's desire to join the EU has also played an important role in the government's approach to LGBT rights.[10]

After the 2018 general election and with a newly established government, on 23 December 2019, Zvizdić was succeeded as Chairman of the Council of Ministers by Zoran Tegeltija of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD).[11]

Personal life

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On 8 February 2021, it was confirmed that Zvizdić tested positive for COVID-19, amid its pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Ćatić, I. (15 August 2014). "Porodica Čampara preuzela gotovo sve institucije". Dnevni Avaz. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Elvira M. Jukic (19 December 2014). "SDA Names Bosnia's New Prime Minister". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b "BiH elects Denis Zvizdic as new chairman of BiH Council of Ministers". Bosnia Today. 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  4. ^ G.M. (15 November 2021). "Zvizdić zvanično pristupio Narodu i pravdi pa poručio: Promijenit ćemo sve iz temelja" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  5. ^ "BiH elects Denis Zvizdic as new chairman for state-level gov't". Xinhua News Agency. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  6. ^ N.N. (15 February 2016). "BiH predala aplikaciju za članstvo u EU: Još jedan korak na dugom putu" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Better protection of LGBTI persons through the amendments to the Anti-discrimination Law of BiH". Soc.ba. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Anti-discrimination law updated – great step forward in Bosnia and Herzegovina - ILGA-Europe". Ilga-europe.org. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  9. ^ "ZAKON O ZABRANI DISKRIMINACIJE" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  10. ^ BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey
  11. ^ Er.M. (23 December 2019). "Počela sjednica o imenovanju Vijeća ministara BiH" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  12. ^ M.G. (8 February 2021). "Denis Zvizdić pozitivan na koronavirus" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
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Political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Council of Ministers
of Bosnia and Herzegovina

2015–2019
Succeeded by