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WORLD NEWS Monday 8 october 2018
Bosnians vote in divisive election testing EU bid

By JOVANA GEC ger influence of Russia. The
Associated Press West has hoped prospects
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Her- of EU and NATO member-
zegovina (AP) — Bosnians ship would encourage na-
voted Sunday in a general tions in the Balkans to solve
election that could install a their disputes stemming
pro-Russian nationalist to a from the dissolution of the
top post and cement the former Yugoslavia. Russia
ethnic divisions of a coun- opposes any more Balkan
try that faced a brutal war countries joining NATO.
some 25 years ago. Dodik shifted to the race
The ballot was seen as for the Bosnian presidency
a test of whether Bosnia because of term limits for
will move toward integra- his current job leading the
tion in the European Union Bosnian Serb regional mini-
and NATO or remain en- state. His ruling coalition
trenched in rivalries stem- hopes to maintain a firm
ming from the 1992-95 war. grip on power in the Serb
About 3.3 million people region. He urged the voters
cast ballots to elect an ar- Sunday to elect a “com-
ray of institutions in Bosnia’s pact and unified” govern-
complex governing system, ment that will preserve the
which was created by a Bosnian election workers prepare to count ballots at a polling station in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on unity of Republika Srpska,
peace accord that ended Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. the Serb entity and work to
the war that killed 100,000 Associated Press further benefit it.q
people and left millions Bosnia’s politicians, thou-
homeless. sands rallied at anti-corrup-
Election officials described tion protests Friday in Sara-
the vote on Sunday as “ex- jevo and in the main Serb
tremely fair” despite sever- city of Banja Luka.
al incidents. Bosnia’s Serbs and Croats
The country consists of two want to move closer to
regional mini-states — one their ethnic kin in neigh-
Serb-run and a Muslim-Cro- boring Serbia and Croatia,
at entity — with joint institu- while the Muslims want to
tions in a central govern- keep Bosnia together. The
ment. Voters were electing issue was at the core of the
the three-person Bosnian 1990s’ war. The election’s
presidency, the Serb presi- main focus was the Bosnian
dent and the two entities’ presidency because of the
parliaments and cantonal candidacy of hard-line
authorities. Serb leader Milorad Do-
The campaign was marred dik, who advocates even-
by divisive rhetoric and al- tual Serb separation from
legations of irregularities Bosnia. Dodik also is a key
that fueled tensions. Balkan ally of Russian Presi-
In a show of widespread dent Vladimir Putin, and his
popular discontent with victory would mean stron-