Bosnians Vote In Elections Pitting Pro-Western Against Nationalist Forces

Citizens in Bosnia-Herzegovina are casting their votes in elections to various bodies in the country’s multi-layered political system on October 4, with some candidates pushing for increased efforts at joining the European Union and NATO while veteran Bosnian Serb politician Milorad Dodik campaigns for a separatist agenda.

Dodik is not on any ballot, having been banned from public office, but his face is visible on billboards across the country’s Republika Srpska entity, where he remains a highly influential voice.

Voters are casting ballots for the country's central tripartite presidency and national parliament, alongside regional legislative races, in a complex political system set up under the Dayton agreement that ended the country’s 1990s war.

Bitter memories of that era have been revived by the recent death of Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, who was convicted of genocide by The Hague tribunal for war crimes in Bosnia, and the subsequent hero’s funeral he received in Belgrade.

Biometric Voter Checks

"What I'm pinning my hopes on is that the younger generations coming through are far smarter than we ever were. I just hope they won't carry the same kind of fear that we do, the fear that has kept us retreating into our national camps for more than 30 years now,” said Sarajevo resident Suzanna Sacic on October 4.

“I'm not expecting any drastic changes here. Essentially, we're the type of society that's grown used to that kind of politics,” another voter, Ljubisa Acimovic, said in Republika Srpska's administrative center, Banja Luka.

In one preelection rally, Dodik called for the border between Republika Srpska and Serbia to be erased. Other nationalist politicians have called for a merger with Serbia.

While the political divide still reflects the 1990s conflict, a new element in this election is biometric voter checks and ballot scanners. This led to some polling stations opening later than scheduled amid technical hiccups.

“Today we are testing something that will be the future of the electoral process, so we all have to be patient, because the benefits are many," Central Election Commission member Irena Hadziabdic said.

 
Bosnians Vote In Elections Pitting Pro-Western Against Nationalist Forces

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