The U.S. State Department says it is “disappointing” that Bosnia-Herzegovina is starting its second year with no government.

Last year's election for a central parliament and three members of the federal presidency ended in a deadlock, with no one winning a majority in parliament.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday Bosnia's neighbors are moving ahead towards the European Union, while Bosnia is stuck in the past.

She called for Bosnian leaders to carry out their democratic responsibility to Bosnian citizens and form a government. She says time is marching on in the Balkans, but without Bosnia.

The 1995 peace deal that ended Bosnia's civil war split the country into a Serb Republic and a Muslim-Croat Federation. Each has its own administration and police force. Both regions are tied together by a weak federal government.

Bosnia's complex political system and simmering ethnic tensions have frustrated foreign governments and investors.