BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA HEADS TO POLLS SUNDAY

Sat 05 October 2024:

Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold its eighth local elections since 1992 on Sunday.

A total of 143 mayors and 3,200 council members will be elected in the two entities in the country — the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH) and the Republika Srpska (RS) and the Brcko District, which has a special status.

Bosniak parties will participate in different alliances, while Serb and Croat parties will lean toward a single alliance or candidate.

There are 110 parties, 58 alliances, 76 independent candidates, and 43 minority representatives participating for the votes of 3.4 million registered voters, according to the data by the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CIK).

The vast majority of parties are Bosniaks. The high rate brings with it a large number of candidates and alliances.

In areas where the Serb population is dense, parties are nominating a single candidate, while Bosniak parties are not nominating candidates in those areas, and some Bosniak candidates are withdrawing because of pressure.

While Serbs are already declaring victory in municipalities where a single candidate is nominated, the Croats are also following a similar policy.

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Serbian, Croatian establishing authority over their voter bases; Bosniaks falling victim to democratic pluralism

“From the 1990s, when the multi-party system was put into effect, to the present day, political pluralism in Bosnia and Herzegovina has only been fully implemented among Bosniaks. This situation is clearly observed in the number of parties participating in each election and the alliances formed after the elections,” said Dr. Mustafa Krupalija, an associate professor of political science and international relations at the International University of Sarajevo.

Krupalija said it is a positive development for democratic societies but poses a “latent danger” in countries where ethnic discrimination is intense, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“While Serb and Croat nationalist parties establish an unshakable authority over their own voter bases, Bosniaks are falling victim to democratic pluralism that has evolved into political division,” he said.

Krupalija noted that elections were held in the city of Mostar in southern Bosnia for the first time in 2020 after a 12-year hiatus due to the issue of city status.

“In the last local elections in Mostar, a Croat candidate won the mayorship by a margin of one vote,” he said. “Mostar will be a critical test for Bosnians in this election as well.”

Bosnia was hit by heavy rains and landslides Friday, killing 18 victims as it prepares for the election.

After a meeting with relevant institutions and responses from the competent administrations of civil protection, the Central Election Commission announced it will decide if the elections will be held in the disaster-hit cities in the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina entity.

Education is suspended in flood-affected areas, and public transport vehicles are reported to be out of service. 

-Source: AA

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