Bosnians voted Sunday for leaders of their poor and splintered nation, where politicians are still fanning the divisive nationalism that fuelled its 1990s war. The Balkan country remains a patchwork of ethnic enclaves, with power formally divided among its three main groups: Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks), Serbs and Croats.
While Sunday's elections will fill Bosnia's highest offices, many voters say they have lost faith in a political class accused of stoking fear to stay in power. The Balkan country's multi-layered political system is a relic of the 1992-95 war that left 100,000 dead, displaced millions and wrecked the economy and infrastructure.
A quarter of a century later, Bosnia is still governed by the peace accord that stopped the fighting and sliced the country into two semi-autonomous halves - one dominated by Serbs and the other home to Muslims and a Croat minority. The result was competing power centres bound by a weak national government. On top sits a tripartite presidency that rotates between a Serb, Croat and Muslim member.
Experts say Bosnia's unwieldy political structure helps graft run wild. According to Transparency International, corruption is a serious problem in "all levels of government". In local 2016 elections, the watchdog reported a range of malpractice, including parties promising jobs in exchange for votes. This culture of patronage is one factor behind high emigration in recent years, a trend that deepens the country's economic woes.
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