Bosnians vote for leaders of fragmented nation

08 Oct, 2018

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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