"Silajdzic and Radmanovic Celebrating, Komsic and Jovic continue with competing," is a headline on the front page of the Oslobodjenje daily.
The Sarajevo-based Dnevni Avaz, the daily with the highest circulation, reported about an victorious atmosphere in Silajdzic's Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) and remained silent about increasing likelihood of Zeljko Komsic, a senior official of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), to become the new Croat representative in the collective presidency. During the pre-election campaign this newspaper openly favoured Silajdzic's SBiH, and criticised the SDP party.
Commenting on the first returns from the polls, the Mostar-based Dnevni List daily on Monday concluded that in the Croat electorate, it was Kosmic of the SDP and the Croatian Democratic Union 1990 (HDZ 1990), which was openly supported by Croatia's HDZ, to celebrate as winners.
This paper described Komsic as a politician of the European mould.
The Central Election Commission in Bosnia-Herzegovina (SIP) reported shortly after Sunday midnight that Ivo Miro Jovic of the Bosnian Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH), Haris Silajdzic of the Party of Bosnia-Herzegovina (SBiH) and Nebojsa Radmanovic of the Serb-led League of the Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) would be likely winners for the posts in the three-man presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Jovic was at the moment ahead of Zeljko Komsic from the SDP with a small margin, given that according to preliminary results from 53 municipalities out of 81 municipalities in Bosnia's Croat-Muslim entity, the former has won 11.83 percent of votes and the latter 11.41 percent.
Later in the night the SDP chief, Zlatko Lagumdzija said that his party's candidate Komsic would be certainly the Croat member of the presidency.
Komsic explained that the preliminary results which the SIP announced shortly after the midnight did not include returns from constituencies in the two major cities - Sarajevo and Tuzla - where the SDP enjoys steady popularity, which means that it could change final results.
"I will work for the benefit of all who voted for me and also for those who did not vote (for me). I will work for the benefit of Bosnia-Herzegovina's citizens of all national descent, basing my activities on the SDP platform," Komsic said last night adding that he was fully aware of the current situation in the country.
The possible election of this SDP official as the new Croat representative in the state collective presidency has met with severe criticism and disproval from two major parties with the "Croat" premodification - the above mentioned HDZ BiH and the HDZ 1990 although they now seem to be the fiercest rivals.
Last night Ivo Miro Jovic of the HDZ BiH threatened to prevent Komsic from assuming the post.
"Ivo Miro Jovic will be the Croat member of the Presidency or there will be no new presidency," Jovic said after the announcement of the incomplete preliminary results.
Jovic said his party would do what would be necessary to prevent Kosmic from stepping in the office, but he did not specify what exactly the HDZ BiH would do in that case.
Bozo Ljubic of the HDZ 1990, who is the third-ranked Croat candidate for this post, said that "Komsic's possible election for the Croat member of the Presidency may be legal but it cannot be legitimate as it does not reflect the will of the Croat electorate."
Ljubic and Jovic fear that Komsic's victory would be based on votes from the Muslim electorate.
Komsic, born in Sarajevo in 1964, is currently the head of the Novo Sarajevo municipality. He was Bosnia's amabssador to Belgrade for some time. During the war he was a memebr of the Army of Bosnia-Herzegovina and he was decorated with the "Gold Fleur de Lys" medal.
In the Serb entity, Radmanovic's performance at the election and the results which his SNSD party achieved made them the absolute winners in tha part of Bosnia
Bosnians went to the polls in general elections on Sunday to choose leaders who will guide their country after a decade of international administration. About 4,300 voting stations in the country were opened for 2.75 million eligible voters. The voting proceeded without any major problem.
Voters cast ballots to elect the state collective presidency and parliament as well as the president and two vice-presidents in the Serb entity. Voters from the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (the Croat-Muslim entity) voted for deputies in the House of Representatives in the Federation Parliament and for representatives in assemblies in ten cantons.
Thirty six (36) political parties, eight coalitions and 12 independent candidates ran in the elections for the country's collective presidency and the national parliament.
The SIP will announce preliminary results for the two entities' law-making bodies and for assemblies at lower levels on late Monday owing to a complex system of the electoral process.