Bosnians Head to Polls in Close-Run Election

Polls opened at 7am on Sunday for voters to cast ballots in the general and presidential elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A total of 3,278,908 voters are eligible to vote at 5,401 polling stations at home and abroad. They will elect representatives to the state parliament, the assemblies of Bosnia's two entities, ten cantonal assemblies within one of the entities - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - the presidency of the other entity - Republika Srpska - and the tripartite state presidency.

Among 98 competing political subjects are 50 political parties, 24 coalitions and 24 independent candidates. A total of 7,748 candidates are standing of whom 42 per cent are women.

A total of 518 positions are up for election. Three are seats on the state presidency, 42 are for the state parliament, 98 are for the assembly of the Federation entity, 83 are for the assembly of the Republika Srpska entity and three are for president and vice-presidents of Republika Srpska. There are 35 to 21 seats vacant for each of the Federation entity's 10 cantonal assemblies.

Around 50,000 party monitors are overseeing voting in the 142 municipalities alongside around 6,000 accredited overseers for the Central Electoral Commission.
Ten candidates are competing for the Bosniak seat on the state presidency. The frontrunners are Bakir Izetbegovic, Fahrudin Radoncic and Emir Suljagic.

Four candidates are competing for the Croatian seat. Dragan Covic and Martin Raguz are ahead in this race.

Three candidates are standing for the Serbian seat on the presidency. The main race is between Mladen Ivanic and Zeljka Cvijanovic.

In elections to the three parliaments - the state parliament and the two entity assemblies -...