Bakir Izetbegović
Who was Bakir Izetbegović?
Son of Alija Izetbegović who served as Bosniak member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency from 2010-2018, representing the Party of Democratic Action (SDA).
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Bakir Izetbegović (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Bakir Izetbegović was born on June 28, 1956, in Sarajevo, then part of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Yugoslavia. As the son of Alija Izetbegović, who would later be the first president of independent Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir grew up in a politically aware household that influenced his career path. He graduated from the University of Sarajevo in 1981 with a degree that took him into the field of architecture, where he worked in various firms throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
After his time in architecture, Izetbegović moved into public administration, leading the Construction Institute of the Sarajevo Canton. He stepped into politics in 2000, gradually gaining momentum. He was first elected to the national Parliament in the 2006 general election as a member of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), the party his father founded in 1990. He had been involved with the SDA since its start and joined the party's leadership in 2002.
In 2010, Izetbegović reached the top political position available to Bosniak politicians by becoming the Bosniak member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency. He held onto this position through the 2014 general election, serving two terms until 2018. His presidency faced significant events, like the devastating floods in Southeast Europe in 2014 and widespread civil unrest earlier that year. He also took part in several discussions about constitutional reforms to improve the governmental structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After an unsuccessful re-election bid in 2018, Izetbegović continued his political journey as a member of the national House of Peoples, staying in that role until 2023. He attempted to return to the presidency in the 2022 general election but did not win the Bosniak seat. Throughout his political life, Izetbegović has led the SDA, becoming its president in 2014. However, his leadership has faced criticism from within the party, with some accusing him of centralizing power and stifling internal opposition, dominating party decision-making.
Before Fame
Growing up as the son of Alija Izetbegović during the socialist era in Yugoslavia, Bakir saw firsthand the tensions between religious identity and secular government that would later shape Bosnian politics. His father's imprisonment in the 1980s for political activities gave him an early view of the costs of opposing the communist system.
After graduating from university in 1981, Izetbegović spent nearly twenty years working as an architect, staying largely out of politics even as Yugoslavia began to fall apart in the late 1980s. He entered politics fairly late in 2000, almost ten years after the Bosnian War ended and his father had set up the SDA as the main political group for Bosniak interests in the new democratic system.
Key Achievements
- Served as Bosniak member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Presidency from 2010-2018
- Won re-election to the presidency in 2014, demonstrating sustained popular support
- Led the Party of Democratic Action as president since 2014, maintaining Bosniak political unity
- Actively participated in constitutional reform negotiations aimed at improving Bosnia's governance structure
- Successfully navigated major crises including the 2014 floods and civil unrest during his presidential tenure
Did You Know?
- 01.He worked as an architect for nearly 20 years before entering politics, including during the entire period of the Bosnian War from 1992-1995
- 02.His presidency coincided with some of the worst natural disasters in Bosnian history, including floods that affected over one million people in 2014
- 03.He has been president of the SDA party longer than he served in the national presidency, holding the party leadership since 2014
- 04.Despite his father's prominent role in Bosnia's independence, Bakir did not enter electoral politics until he was 44 years old
- 05.He lost his 2022 comeback bid for the presidency to Džaferović, marking the first time since 1990 that an Izetbegović was not serving in a major Bosnian political office
Family & Personal Life
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