In the complex voting process for the presidential, parliamentary and local elections, 7,200 candidates grouped in 90 parties and 38 coalitions present themselves
The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are being called to the polls this Sunday for presidential, parliamentary and local elections, marked by a revival of nationalist rhetoric that has raised the specter of the war that shook the European country between 1992 and 1995.
At stake are seats in the Tripartite Presidency – comprising a Bosnian, a Bosnian Serb and a Bosnian Croat -, the Bosnian Parliamentary Assembly, the Federation’s legislative bodies and Republika Srpska – the two entities that make up the country – , the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the Republika Srpska and ten cantonal assemblies in the Federation.
The complex voting process puts 518 positions on the table, with more than 7,200 candidates gathered, of which 43% are women. The candidates compete in the ranks of 90 parties and 38 coalitions, while 17 do so as independents, according to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
The elections will take place amid the worst political crisis in the country since the end of the war in 1995, mainly because of the Bosnian Serb leader’s declared intention to promote a separatist process of Republika Srpska and the failure of the negotiations to change the electoral law, something the Bosnian Croats advocated and the Bosnians oppose.
The war conflict in Bosnia came to an end 27 years ago with the signing of the Dayton Accords, which established a constitution composed of two autonomous entities: the Federation, with a Bosnian and Bosnian Croat majority, and the Republika Srpska, with a Bosnian Serb majority – and voters of three peoples. The situation resulted in a weakened central state that gave important powers to the entities and led to political blockages due to disagreements between the different communities over decision-making.
For example, the national government was structured with limited powers, while the entities have authority in areas such as defence, security, justice, taxation, education and health.
Source: La Verdad
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