SARAJEVO, Nov 11 (Hina) - Polling stations opened at 07.00 am Saturday in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the third general election since the conclusion of the Dayton peace accords. There are about 2.5 million citizens with the right to
elect. During this election, voters in the Serb entity are choosing the president and vice-president of the Republic of Srpska, while voters in the Croat-Moslem Federation are electing deputies to ten cantonal assemblies within this entity. Besides, there will also be votes for local authorities in the eastern town of Srebrenica, a former UN safety haven and the site the July 1995 massacre where up to 8,000 Moslems disappeared when Serb forces overran the town. Ballots will be cast at about 3,600 polling stations open between 07.00 and 19.00 hours on Saturday. The casting and counting will be observed by personnel with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mi
SARAJEVO, Nov 11 (Hina) - Polling stations opened at 07.00 am
Saturday in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the third general election
since the conclusion of the Dayton peace accords.
There are about 2.5 million citizens with the right to elect.
During this election, voters in the Serb entity are choosing the
president and vice-president of the Republic of Srpska, while
voters in the Croat-Moslem Federation are electing deputies to ten
cantonal assemblies within this entity. Besides, there will also be
votes for local authorities in the eastern town of Srebrenica, a
former UN safety haven and the site the July 1995 massacre where up
to 8,000 Moslems disappeared when Serb forces overran the town.
Ballots will be cast at about 3,600 polling stations open between
07.00 and 19.00 hours on Saturday. The casting and counting will be
observed by personnel with the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe Mission to Bosnia, including 735
international monitors coming to Bosnia just for the elections.
This year, 44 parties, one coalition, and a number of independent
candidates will run for seats in the houses of representatives of
the parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its Croat-Muslim
federation, the new composition of the Serb republic's people's
assembly, and cantonal assemblies in the federation and for the new
make-up of Srebrenica municipal council.
According to polls conducted among Bosnians in the run-up, three
nationalist parties which ruled the country in the last ten years
will lose the confidence of voters dissatisfied with the disastrous
economic situation and fed up with permanent political tensions.
The mood of the electorate seems to be in favour of the current
strongest opposition party - Social Democratic Party of Bosnia-
Herzegovina (SDP).
Election results, officially to be released by OSCE, are not
expected to be made public for a few days, but parties should have
relatively reliable indicators of their success in the early hours
of Sunday.
(hina) ms