SARAJEVO, Oct 7 (Hina) - Preliminary incomplete returns from the general elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which the Electoral Commission announced on Sunday evening, confirmed the come-back of national parties, while Social Democrats
(SDP) faced a serious fall in its popularity.
SARAJEVO, Oct 7 (Hina) - Preliminary incomplete returns from the
general elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which the Electoral
Commission announced on Sunday evening, confirmed the come-back of
national parties, while Social Democrats (SDP) faced a serious fall
in its popularity. #L#
The Commission's head, Lidija Korac, said that until 09.00 pm
Sunday the returns from the polling stations in 121 municipalities
had been received, and the returns from another 26 municipalities
were being still expected.
According to the counted 77.3 percent of ballots, it was confirmed
that the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) candidate Dragan Covic,
who won 64.5 percent of the vote, would become the new Croat member
of the Bosnian three-man Presidency. The second-ranked Croat
candidate is Mladen Ivankovic (16%), while Mijo Anic of the
Croatian new Initiative (NHI) was the third with eight percent.
The new Serb member of the collective Presidency will be Mirko
Sarovic of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) with 38.3 percent of the
mustered ballots.
The election for the Muslim (Bosniak) member of the Presidency
turned to be a cliff-hanger. The candidate of the Party of
Democratic Action (SDA), Sulejman Tihic, was in the lead with 27.7
percent of the mustered votes, but Haris Silajdzic, the leader of
the Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) is still standing good
chances to take the lead as the incomplete data show that he has so
far mustered 25.7 percent of the vote.
The SDS candidate Dragan Cavic won the race for the president of the
Serb entity with the ten percent edge over the candidate of the
Party of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Mladen Jelic.
As regards the election for the parliament on the state level, in
the Croat-Muslim entity (the Federation), the SDA has so far
mustered 32.5 percent, the HDZ is the second ranked with 18.7
percent and is followed by Silajdzic's SBiH with 16.5 percent,
while SDP has won 14 percent of the votes. In the Republic of Srpska,
the SDS seems to be the strongest with 36.8 percent and is followed
by SNSD (28.9 percent) and by the Party of Democratic Progress of
the incumbent Premier Mladen Ivanic.
As regards the election for the parliament in the Federation, the
SDA (33.3 percent) and the HDZ (17.5%) are in the lead, and the SBiH
has 16.1% and the SDP is now with 14.4 percent.
In the Serb entity, the SDS (33.5%) will win the race in the
parliamentary election, and the SNSD is behind it with 27.4
percent.
New results are likely to be announced on Monday.