This article compares structures, institutional design challenges and political processes between Cyprus and the Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first part shows how the international community played a crucial role in order to implement consociational constitutions. However, as it was the case with Cyprus, in the Federation the most numerous ethnic segment does not accept consociational arrangements simply to gain more power over the smaller ethnic community. The second part discusses the post-war institutional design in the Federation. Since 2000, the international community has opted for centripetal arrangements. Finally, the article examines the gradual suspension of consociational arrangements causes the Cyprusization of the Federation which increases political tensions and divisions between the two communities.