3 minutes agoElection in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Periskopi(8 years ago)
(8 years ago)Citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina vote today in the general elections, which come after an election campaign, mainly focused on deep ethnic divisions rather than on addressing economic problems and corruption in this Balkan country. Citizens will rightly elect leaders of the tripartite presidency today, as well as [...]
Citizens will rightly vote today to elect leaders of the tripartite presidency, as well as representatives in parliament and canton congregations.
Locations opened at 7:00 and close at 7:00. In these elections, 3.3 million citizens are eligible to vote.
The election vote has raised tensions between Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Serb officials, who have had strained relations since the peace agreement reached in Dayton in 1995, where Serb-dominated Republika Srpska was established and the two constituent states within Bosnia.
“Unfortunately, parties are still trying to win votes based on fear, war threats and being called on topics of the past, rather than offering plans for the future”, says Josip Juratovic, member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegation, monitoring elections in Bosnia.
Elections in Bosnia come at a time when the country is at a crossroads: either Bosnia will follow its way to deepening Euro-Atlantic ties, or its ethnic rivalries will hinder progress towards membership in the European Union and NATO integration.
Even though the war in Bosnia has ended in 1995, the wounds of the three-year conflict that claimed the lives of about 100,000 people and another 2 million were forced to move away yet to heal.
Bosnia is composed of Serbian ethnicity, the ethnicity of Muslims and Croats.
Voters today will elect the three presidency members, the president of the Bosnian Serb entity, MPs at all levels and canton officials.
According to Transparency International, the election campaign has been tough and has been characterised with divisive rhetoric.
