Borjana Krišto (; born 13 August 1961) is a Bosnian Croat politician serving as the 11th Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina since January 2023. She previously served as the 8th

president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents the Federation and is the head of the federal executive power. Term of the Federal President is 4 years. The post was established in March 1994. The election of the Federal Pr ...

from 2007 to 2011. She is the first woman to hold both positions. Krišto holds a degree in law from the Faculty of Law in Banja Luka. Following the 2006 general election, she became president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in February 2007, serving until March 2011. In June 2011, Krišto was one of the candidates for nomination to the office of Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers. Ultimately, she was not nominated. A member of the Croatian Democratic Union since 1995, Krišto was the party's candidate for a seat in the Bosnian Presidency as a Croat member in the 2010 and 2022 general elections. However, she failed to get elected in both elections. She was a member of both the national House of Peoples and

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

as well. In January 2023, Krišto was appointed Chairwoman of the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

, following the 2022 general election.

Early life and education

The daughter of Jože Krželj and Janja, Krišto grew up in

Livno Livno ( sr-cyrl, Ливно, ) is a city and the administrative center of Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bistrica in the southeastern edge of the Livno Fiel ...

, where she graduated from the high school of economics in 1980. She then obtained a degree from the Faculty of Law in Banja Luka in 1984, and passed the bar exam in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

. Krišto worked in the legal department of several companies: "Agro Livno" (1987–1988), "Guber Livno" (1990–1991), "Likom Livno" (1991–1992) and "Livno bus" (1995–1999).

Political career

Krišto entered into politics in 1995, joining the Croatian Democratic Union. She has been the party's deputy president since 2007.Baza podataka: Borjana Krišto
(na bošnjačkom). Centar za istraživačko novinarstvo. Pristupjeno 1. travnja 2014. Krišto worked as Minister of Justice in the Government of

Canton 10 Canton 10 ( hr, Hercegbosanska županija; bs, Kanton 10; sr-cyrl, Кантон 10) or Herzeg-Bosnian canton is the largest of the cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by area and eighth by population. It mainly covers an are ...

from 1999 to 2000, and later as Secretary of the Cantonal government from 2000 until 2002. At the 2002 general election, she was elected to the Federal House of Representatives. However, she did not become a member, as she was appointed Minister of Justice in the Federal Government. At the 2006 general election, Krišto was elected to the national

. She was also appointed as member of the delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up ...

. She resigned from both legislative posts upon her election as

, one of the two autonomous entities that compose Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 22 February 2007. Krišto was the first woman to serve as Federal president. She served as president until 17 March 2011, when she was succeeded by

Živko Budimir Živko Budimir (; born 20 November 1962) is a Bosnian Croat politician who served as the 9th President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the two autonomous entities that compose Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 17 March 2011 until ...

. At the 2010 general election, Krišto ran for a seat in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a Croat member, but was not elected, obtaining only 19.74% of the vote, with

Željko Komšić Željko Komšić (; born 20 January 1964) is a Bosnian politician and diplomat who is the 6th and current Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is also its current chairman, since 2021. Previously, he was a member of the na ...

of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

getting elected with 60.61% of the vote. Following the election, she was appointed member of the national House of Peoples. In June 2011, Krišto was one of the candidates for nomination to the office of Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers. Out of three candidates, she came in third place when ranked by the Bosnian Presidency. At the 2014 general election, Krišto was once again elected to the national House of Representatives. She was re-elected to office at the 2018 general election. The Croatian Democratic Union announced Krišto's candidacy in the Bosnian general election in June 2022, running once again for Presidency member and representing the Croats. At the general election, held on 2 October 2022, she failed to get elected, having obtained 44.20% of the vote. The incumbent Bosnian Croat presidency member Željko Komšić got re-elected, obtaining 55.80% of the vote.

Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers (2023–present)

Appointment

Following the

2022 general election The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 local ...

, a coalition led by the

Alliance of Independent Social Democrats The Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (; abbr. СНСД or SNSD) is a Serb political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Founded in 1996, it is the governing party in Republika Srpska, with its leader, Milorad Dodik, serving as the current ...

, the Croatian Democratic Union and the

reached an agreement on the formation of a new

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

, designating Krišto as the new Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers. The

Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

officially nominated her as chairwoman-designate on 22 December. The national

confirmed Krišto's appointment on 28 December, making her the first female Chairwoman of the

. On 25 January 2023, the House of Representatives confirmed the appointment of Krišto's cabinet.

References

External links

Curriculum Vitae
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kristo, Borjana 1961 births Living people People from Livno Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Academic staff of the University of Banja Luka Bosnia and Herzegovina women in politics Politicians of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Presidents of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Members of the House of Peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina Members of the House of Representatives (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Chairmen of the House of Representatives (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 21st-century women politicians 20th-century women politicians