2022 Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina general election

General elections were held in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 2 October 2022 as part of the Bosnian general elections. Voters elected the 98 members of the House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the assemblies of the cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Christian Schmidt, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, imposed changes to the country's electoral law after voting hours ended for the election. The changes prominently included an expansion of the Federal House of Peoples from 56 to 80 members, changes in the election process for the house as well as changes in the election process for the president and vice presidents of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) emerged as the largest party in the House of Representatives, winning 26 of the 98 seats. The Social Democratic Party and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) each won 15 seats. The Democratic Front won 12 seats, while People and Justice won 7 seats, up five from the previous general election in 2018. Our Party repeated its result from the previous election, winning six seats.

In spite of the SDA emerging as the largest party, its failure to form a functional coalition led to the liberal alliance Troika and the HDZ BiH to form a coalition alongside the Croatian Democratic Union 1990, with Nermin Nikšić getting appointed as the new Prime Minister in April 2023, albeit after interventions by Christian Schmidt.

Presidency
The president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the two vice-presidents are not elected by direct election: The first chamber of the Federal Parliament, the House of Peoples, nominates candidates for the presidency and the vice-presidencies, followed by the second chamber, the House of Representatives, must confirm this nomination by election. Subsequently, confirmation by the majority of the delegates of all three constitutive ethnic groups in the House of Peoples is required.

House of Representatives
The House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a total of 98 members who are elected by proportional representation. The election takes place in 12 multi-person constituencies with entity-wide balancing mandates. In the Federal House of Representatives, each constitutive ethnic group should be represented by at least four members. The threshold is three percent.

Cantonal Assemblies
The assemblies of the 10 cantons of the Federation are also elected. The election is based on proportional representation with a threshold of three percent. The individual cantonal assemblies send members to the House of Peoples.

Aftermath
On 29 November 2022, a coalition led by the liberal alliance Troika and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) reached an agreement on the formation of a new government for the 2022–2026 parliamentary term, designating Social Democratic Party president Nermin Nikšić as the new Federal Prime Minister. On 28 February 2023, Lidija Bradara (HDZ BiH) was elected president after a vote in the Federal House of Representatives. The House of Representatives confirmed the appointment of Nermin Nikšić and the government on 28 April 2023, following interventions by High Representative Christian Schmidt after months of political deadlock.

Former Federal Prime Minister, Fadil Novalić, who Nikšić succeeded following the election after Schmidt's intervention, at first refused to concede the power, and continues contesting his forceable deposing as illegal and unconstitutional. Nikšić's appointment was also deemed unconstitutional by the opposition, but was afterwards accepted.