Ethnic tensions dominate as Bosnia votes

Sarajevo: Bosnians voted in general elections on Sunday, following a campaign marked by threats of secession, political infighting, and fears of future turmoil as ethnic tensions in the country grow.

Voters are casting ballots in a dizzying number of contests, including for the three members of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, the deputies of the central parliament and a string of local races.

Polls opened at 7:00 am local time (5:00 GMT). Nearly three decades after war ravaged the Balkan country, Bosnia continues to be burdened by its ethnic divisions. The Balkan state has been governed by a dysfunctional administrative system created by the 1995 Dayton Agreement that succeeded in ending the conflict in the 1990s, but largely failed in providing a framework for the country’s political development.

Bosnia remains partitioned between a Serb entity -- the Republika Srpska (RS) -- and a Muslim-Croat federation connected by a weak central government. In the war’s wake, ethnic political parties have long exploited the country’s divisions in a bid to maintain power.