Diet Of Bosnia
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The Diet of Bosnia and Herzegovina (''Bosansko-hercegovački sabor'' or ''Sabor Bosne i Hercegovine'', german:
Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...
, links=no von Bosnien und der Hercegovina), was a
representative assembly A representative assembly is a political institution in which a number of persons representing the population or privileged orders within the population of a state come together to debate, negotiate with the executive (originally the king or other r ...
with competence over the Austro-Hungarian
Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
. The parliament established in 1910 had a certain
legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
authority, however, its resolutions were subject to approval by the
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
and Hungarian government. It ceased its operation in July 1914 and was legally abolished in 1915.


Background

Upon the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina in the wake of the 1878
Congress of Berlin The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...
, the Bosniak, Croat and Serb people of the country were given the chance to surrender peacefully, and accept new government without a fight. To the surprise of the Vienna government, this proposal was strongly rejected by
partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...
resistance. Nevertheless, the reinforced troops of the 13th
Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...
corps led by Lieutenant General
Josip Filipović Josip Filipović, ''Freiherr'' (Baron) von Philippsberg, also Josef von Philippovich or Joseph Philippovich (April 1818 – 6 August 1889), was an Austro-Hungarian general (''Feldzeugmeister''). Life and career Filipović was born in the Milita ...
could not be stopped. As Foreign Minister
Gyula Andrássy Count Gyula Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka (8 March 1823 – 18 February 1890) was a Hungarian statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Hungary (1867–1871) and subsequently as Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary (1871–1 ...
had assured the
Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire. History The nam ...
of a "temporary" occupation, the lands of Bosnia and Hercegovina ''
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' were administered by Austria-Hungary, but ''
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
'' remained part of the Ottoman Empire. The occupational period (1878–1908) was divided into a period of martial governance, which ended in 1882 when the period of civil governance started. In 1908 Emperor
Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the Grand title of the Emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg m ...
, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his rule, in response to the Young Turks movement ordered the official annexation, sparking the Bosnian crisis which lasted until 1909. The Austro-Hungarian government could laboriously stem Ottoman and Serbian outrage with the support of the
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
.


Establishment

In the post-annexation period on February 17, 1910 Emperor Franz Joseph decreed a Bosnian-Herzegovinian constitution. Law and ordinance gazette for Bosnia and Hercegovina No. 19, 1910
/ref> It was regulated by six main laws: * the
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
(''Zemaljski statut'') * Elections policy (''Izborni red'') * Rules of council's procedures (''Saborski poslovni red'') * Laws on political parties (''Zakon o društvima u BiH'') * Rules on principles of assembly (''Zakon sakupljanja u BiH'') * Laws on regulating the work of region councils (''Zakon o kotarskim vijećima'') Regardless of all the restraints on Bosnian
autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...
, the Constitution and its laws introduced three new institutions into the political sphere of this country: * Bosnian-herzegovinian diet (''Bosansko-hercegovački sabor'') * National council (''Zemaljski savjet'') * Regional council (''Kotarsko vijeće'' ) It was necessary to guarantee the basic
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
and to regulate public assembly since these rights are the foundations of parliamentary life.


Before the first council elections


Election survey

In 1909, after the settling of the annexation crisis the new government started the preparation for establishment of the Bosnian constitution. To pacify the public of Bosnia, on February 8, 1909 the new government called for the election survey that was introduced by Baron Benko. He presented the main principles of the future constitution, among which were the Bosnian Diet, its authority and its members. The first principle of the Diet was in the Emperor's letter which was the part of the annexation agreement and which described the ways of constituting the future council. The constitution was intended to guarantee
basic human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
, and thus its authority did not include the common affairs of Austria-Hungary, such as diplomatic, martial, monopolistic, and the Emperor's missions. This put the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina in subordinate relation to both Austria and Hungary, administrated by the common ''
k.u.k. The phrase Imperial and Royal (German: ''kaiserlich und königlich'', ), typically abbreviated as ''k. u. k.'', ''k. und k.'', ''k. & k.'' in German (the "und" is always spoken unabbreviated), ''cs. és k. (császári és királyi)'' in Hungari ...
'' Ministry of Finance. However, the authority of the Diet did include all judicial and executive power in the country itself. The legislative power belonged to the Emperor who was the only one to approve new laws. Nikola Stojanović, a member of the Bosnian Serb National Organization (SNO), spoke with Baron Benko. He said that he and his fellow party members could not participate in the survey since they were invited as individuals, not as representatives of their political party, which Baron Benko justified by saying that SNO was not formally recognized by the new government, a claim that Stojanović rejected. What the members of SNO wanted was the
autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they rejected the new constitutional reforms. Since their requests remained unfulfilled, all the party members restrained from the politics. Stojanović's speech was printed in
Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
by his own request to avoid possible accusations that such requests never existed. The members of MNO (''Muslimanska Narodna Organizacija''): Firdus, Karabeg, and Miralem, firmly rejected participation in the survey and thus did not participate in the first meeting on constitutional survey. The members of all parties except MNO, SNO, and the
Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Bosnian: ''Socijaldemokratska partija Bosne i Hercegovine'' (SDP BiH) / Социјалдемократска партија Босне и Херцеговине), also simply known as the S ...
, participated in the constitutional survey. The representatives of the Catholics was the HNZ, Štadler clerk party, the representatives of the Muslims was the MNS, and the representatives of the Orthodox were SNSS, and its leader Lazar Dimitrijević. The survey showed unified opinion of all its members, especially on economic growth of native population. All the members criticized the regulations on tariffs and railroads, and they requested that Bosnian Diet have the authority over customs, indirect taxes and monopoly.


Writing the Constitution

When the survey ended on May 4, 1909, MNO published pamphlets called "''Our Constitutional Regime''" where it stated the stand of their party on the new constitution. They wanted representative members of all political parties to discuss the new Constitution. The main condition for this meeting posed by MSN was allowing for public elections, agreements and political activism. Their main concern was the foundation of full parliamentary and legal autonomy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. MNO declared their will to keep in communication with the Serbs since they also demanded the governing of the country by a national council (parliament) to consist of 31 Orthodox members, 24 Muslim members and 16 Catholic members; and not by the Zagreb
Sabor The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor ...
council consisting of 116 Catholic members, 69 Orthodox members and 24 Muslim members. Due to the liberalism in the pamphlets the editors of Musvata that published them were fined 1,500 krone. After declaring the annexation by Gligorije Jeftanović, the fight for autonomy ended and the Bosnian-Serbian alliance quickly fell apart. When annexation was declared and the MNO moved to the opposition, the MNS saw the opportunity to impose themselves as political representatives of the Bosnian people. They were very interested in the promised constitution and thus they suggested annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia, which they saw as an opportunity to solve their constitutional problems. Moreover, they asked for protection of language rights of native Bosniaks over that of colonizing powers, especially from
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
. The representatives of MNS gave their proposal on the constitution to Baron Benko at the first survey meeting. This proposal included: *Protecting Muslim Bosniaks from forceful conversion to Catholicism *Protecting private property and keeping the agrarian rights that were law from 1859 *Having Bosnia and Herzegovina as one unity *Protecting Muslim matrimonial, familial and inheritance rights. The process of forming a constitution was very slow. Only after a year and a half of work, when the constitution was almost ready, did the MNO declare annexation and loyalty to the governing
Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Cr ...
dynasty. However, they requested an increase in the number of Muslim representatives on the Diet, following the same principle as that of the Catholics and Orthodox. They also wanted a greater role in the choosing process. The last demand was an increase in number of intellectuals in the membership. These requests were denied. The constitution and laws following it were approbated by Emperor Franz Joseph on November 17, 1910. The ceremony was held and attended by all members of government, higher government representatives, religious representatives, and many other notable people. The acclamation was read by Marjan Varešanin, who briefly announced the new changes in the country and read the Emperor's decree on establishing the new Constitution.


Structure

The Bosnian Council started its work on February 20, 1910. It consisted of members belonging to different social, confessional, and regional groups. The Bosnian Council, unlike other representative institutions in the monarchy, did not have an established domestic tradition. According to Council's order the members belonged to three groups, differing by religion. Within these groups there was another grouping according to the social status of members: #Aristocrats and intellectuals #Urban group #Rural group The national government suggested electing one delegate per 25,000 citizens. The 1895 census showed a population of 1,568,092 citizens, of whom 548,632 were
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s, 627,246
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
and 334,142
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
s. According to the data the Council had 72 delegates, 16 of whom were Catholics, 24 Muslims, 31 Orthodox and only one Jew. All male citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who were over the age of 24 and lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina for more than a year had the active right to vote. Women also had the active right to vote if they paid a land tax of 140 kronen or more. A passive right to vote belonged to all males older than 30 years of age who enjoyed citizen's rights. In reality the situation was different. It was highly dependent on group and confession. An equal balance was established for all three religious groups, which was one of the main principles of Austro-Hungarian government in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A delegate's mandate lasted for five years, and the voters had no right of repeal. The president and vice-president were chosen by the tzar who tried to balance their confessional choice in circular order. Besides the elected members the following members were always introduced: *Muslims - Reis, the principal of Muslim's granted lands, Muslim's regional leader from Mostar and the regional leader who was elected the first. *Orthodox - four Metropolitans and the president of the Orthodox community *Catholics - archbishop and two province members of
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
order of Bosnia and Herzegovina *Jews -
Sephardi Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...
c
rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
of higher order *The president of Supreme Court, the president of Sarajevo attorney chamber, the mayor of nation capital Sarajevo, and the president of Sarajevo trading chamber. This structure was to ensure the conservative Council. Moreover, the Constitutional article 35 stated that the Council cannot speak with other representatives or make any sort of announcements; the Council's meeting cannot have any outsider delegates, and the Council itself can send delegates to the tzar only after requesting and getting approval. According to the Constitution, Bosnia and Herzegovina was a unique region with a unique position in the monarchy, thus it was represented as a unique administrative unit - ''
corpus separatum ''Corpus separatum'' is a Latin term referring to a city or region which is given a special legal and political status different from its environment, but which falls short of being sovereign, or an independent city state. The term may refer to: * ...
'' - called a
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
. This legal subjectivity was partly reflected by the Bosnian Council but direct participation on the level with Austria and Hungary was never allowed. National Council was the institution aiming to ensure a better legal and political position of Bosnia within the monarchy. But regardless of all restrictions, Bosnian Council was centre stage of the entire civilian and political life of the country.


First diet elections

The national government held the first council elections on May 18-May 28, 1910. The MNO and MSS negotiated the creation of a collaboration and sharing the possible mandates. MNO suggested giving six mandates to MSS; this they rejected. After the elections, all 31 Orthodox mandates were given to the SNO, and all 24 Muslim mandates were given to the MNO. The HNZ received 14 out of 16 Catholic places, and the other four went to HKZ led by Archbishop
Josip Štadler Josip Stadler (24 January 1843 – 8 December 1918) was a Roman Catholic priest, the first Archbishop of Vrhbosna, the founder of the religious order of the Servants of the Infant Jesus ( hr, Služavke Maloga Isusa), and one of the main ins ...
. A large number of voters took part. In village regions 83% of Muslims and 85% of Orthodox, though only 61% of Catholics exercised their vote. Neither MSS nor the ''Democrats'' who voted for
Osman Đikić Osman Đikić (; 7 January 1879 – 30 March 1912) was a Bosnian and Herzegovinian poet, dramatist and writer. He was born in Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austro-Hungarian occupation. He was educated in Belgrade, Constantinople and Vie ...
got any seats. The MNO party was so powerful that peasants refused to listen to Đikić's or Smail-aga Ćemalović's speeches. In the beginning the Council, from 1910 onwards chaired by MNO leader
Safvet-beg Bašagić Dr. Safvet-beg Bašagić ( sr-cyrl, Сафвет-бег Башагић; 6 May 1870 – 9 April 1934), also known as Mirza Safvet, was a Bosnian writer who is often described by Bosniak historians as the "father of Bosnian Renaissance", and one of ...
, worked on an agreement. However, almost all four of the meetings they had included Serbian and Croatian
nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
arguments of their right over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which started even with the first bill concerning the opening of a postal savings bank. This together with the assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. F ...
on 28 June 1914 finally led to the cessation of the meetings on July 9.
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
shortly followed. The Bosnian Diet was officially dissolved by order of 6 February 1915.


Abolition

Until World War I, Bosnia and Herzegovina was a separate governing body within the structure of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. It had a special legal system and a special status in which its citizens were treated as neither Austrians nor Hungarians. Such
political subjectivity Political subjectivity is a term used to indicate the deeply embedded nature of subjectivity and subjective experience in a socially constructed system of Power (social and political), power and Meaning (linguistics), meaning. The notion of politica ...
was mainly reflected through Bosnian Council. But even after the Bosnian Council was abolished, the country still had special legal and political status that was often discussed among the highest representatives of the monarchy.
Stjepan Sarkotić Stjepan Freiherr Sarkotić von Lovćen (also ''Stefan Sarkotić'', ''Stjepan Sarkotić'', or ''Stephan Sarkotić''; 4 October 1858 – 16 October 1939) was an Austro-Hungarian Army generaloberst of Croatian descent who served as Governor of Bosni ...
, the governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina during World War I, suggested forming an administrative senate instead of a Bosnian Council that would function as a sort of representative body. The suggestion was rejected with an explanation that Bosnian Council was not abolished and that it would be brought to function again as soon as circumstances changed. The legal status of Bosnia was seriously considered with an effort to prevent the possible destruction of Austro-Hungary and to obstruct the solution of the Yugoslav question. Austria insisted on the annexing of Bosnia to Austria, while Hungary insisted on annexing it to Hungary. Moreover, various plans for dividing Bosnia among the two countries existed. Hungary would get regions of
Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...
and
Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina ...
, while Austria would get the remaining regions. The prime minister of the Hungarian government
István Tisza Count István Imre Lajos Pál Tisza de Borosjenő et Szeged (archaically anglicized Stephen Emery Louis Paul Tisza, in short Stephen Tisza; 22 April 1861 – 31 October 1918) was a Hungarian politician, prime minister, political scientist, inte ...
thought that political balance in the Monarchy could only be achieved by annexing Bosnia to Hungary, since Poland was already annexed to Austria. This failed when the Yugoslav orientated politicians of Bosnia and Herzegovina, mainly Serbs and Croats, on September 20, 1918 requested that Bosnian people be allowed to choose their own status. Meanwhile, the Yugoslav question was highly active with the goal to form one unified country,
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
.


Speakers

* Ali Bey Firdus (15 June 1910 – 30 June 1910) ** Vojislav Šola (15 June 1910 – 30 June 1910) (acting for Firdus) *
Safvet-beg Bašagić Dr. Safvet-beg Bašagić ( sr-cyrl, Сафвет-бег Башагић; 6 May 1870 – 9 April 1934), also known as Mirza Safvet, was a Bosnian writer who is often described by Bosniak historians as the "father of Bosnian Renaissance", and one of ...
(1910 – 1912) *
Nikola Mandić Nikola Mandić (; 20 January 1869 – 7 June 1945) was a Croatian politician and one of the leading political figures in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austrian-Hungarian rule. He also served as a Prime Minister of the Independent State of Croati ...
(1912 – 9 July 1914)


See also

*
Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina fell under Austro-Hungarian rule in 1878, when the Congress of Berlin approved the occupation of the Bosnia Vilayet, which officially remained part of the Ottoman Empire. Three decades later, in 1908, Austria-Hungary pr ...
*
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated on 28 June 1914 by Bosnian Serb student Gavrilo Princip. They were shot at close range whil ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bosnian Council Legislatures of Austria-Hungary Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina