Bosnians vote in divisive election

Ballot seen as test of whether country will move towards integration in EU and Nato

BANJA LUKA ( Bosnia- Herzegovina): Bosnians were voting in a general election that could install a pro-Russian nationalist to a top post and cement the ethnic divisions of a country that faced a brutal war 25 years ago.

The ballot is seen as a test of whether Bosnia will move towards integration in the European Union and Nato or remain entrenched in rivalries stemming from the 1992-95 war.

Some 3.3 million people are eligible to vote for an array of institutions in Bosnia’s complex governing system, which was created by a peace accord that ended the war that killed 100,000 people and left millions homeless.

The country consists of a Serb-run region and a similar Muslim-Croat entity joined in a central government. Voters are casting ballots for the three-person Bosnian presidency, the Serb president, and the two entities’ parliaments and cantonal authorities.

There have been no reliable opinion polls ahead of the election. The campaign was marred by divisive rhetoric and allegations of irregularities that fuelled tensions.

Bosnia’s Serbs and Croats want to move closer to their ethnic kin in neighbouring Serbia and Croatia, while the Muslims want to keep Bosnia together. The issue was at the core of the 1990s’ war.

The main focus is on the race for Bosnia’s three-member presidency, because of the candidacy of hard-line Serb President Milorad Dodik, who advocates eventual Serb separation from Bosnia.

Dodik is a key Balkan ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his victory would mean stronger Russian influence. The current Serb member of the presidency and a relative moderate, Mladen Ivanic, is running too.

The main ethnic Croatian presidential candidate, Dragan Covic, is also dashing hopes that Bosnia will be strengthened as a mul- ti-ethnic union. Covic seeks the formation of a third government body, a Croat mini-state that would spell further fragmentation for the fragile nation.

Liberal candidates who back a civil society free of ethnic divisions largely have been pushed to the margins in yesterday’s vote.

Observers say widespread voter apathy also diminishes chances of an election surprise, despite high unemployment and widespread corruption.

“I expect a lot, but I have little hope that something will change,” said Dragica Ruzic, a 72-year-old retiree from the Bosnian Serb region. — AP