Post by MiG on Dec 10, 2007 18:43:35 GMT -5
Bosnia: Serbs elect moderate as new president
Banjaluka, 10 Dec. (AKI) - Bosnian Serbs, the second biggest ethnic group, have elected a moderate politician Rajko Kuzmanovic as new president of the Serb entity Republika Srpska (RS).
According to preliminary results from Sunday's election, Kuzmanovic, a member of the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), won 45 percent votes, followed by Ognjen Tadic of the Serbian Democratic party (SDS) with 33 per cent.
The rest of the votes were distributed among small political parties, the central election commission said on Monday. The biggest election surprise was a low turnout of less than 36 percent, which showed voter apathy and mistrust of local politicians, analysts said.
“Kuzmanovic is the new president,” said SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said. Dodik, RS prime minister has imposed himself as unchallenged Serb leader.
He has opposed the police reform demanded by the international community, which would eliminate RS police, but has lately softened his stance.
Kuzmanovic said the election results were a “victory for democracy and the RS” and pledged to be the president of all people, “regardless of nationality and party affiliations.”
Kuzmanovic will replace Milan Jelic who died of a heart attack in September.
The Dayton peace accord that ended Bosnia's bloody 1992-1995 civil war split the country into two entities, the Muslim-Croat federation and RS. But the international community which safeguards peace in Bosnia has gradually stripped entities of most state powers in an effort to strengthen central government.
The EU has made it clear that stronger central institutions are essential for Bosnia's entry into the bloc. The country recently initialled a pre-membership agreement with the EU.
The elections signaled a slow comeback of SDS, formed by war time Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, after a defeat in parliamentary elections in October last year.
Karadzic and his wartime general Ratko Mladic have been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and have been fugitives for over a decade.
Banjaluka, 10 Dec. (AKI) - Bosnian Serbs, the second biggest ethnic group, have elected a moderate politician Rajko Kuzmanovic as new president of the Serb entity Republika Srpska (RS).
According to preliminary results from Sunday's election, Kuzmanovic, a member of the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), won 45 percent votes, followed by Ognjen Tadic of the Serbian Democratic party (SDS) with 33 per cent.
The rest of the votes were distributed among small political parties, the central election commission said on Monday. The biggest election surprise was a low turnout of less than 36 percent, which showed voter apathy and mistrust of local politicians, analysts said.
“Kuzmanovic is the new president,” said SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said. Dodik, RS prime minister has imposed himself as unchallenged Serb leader.
He has opposed the police reform demanded by the international community, which would eliminate RS police, but has lately softened his stance.
Kuzmanovic said the election results were a “victory for democracy and the RS” and pledged to be the president of all people, “regardless of nationality and party affiliations.”
Kuzmanovic will replace Milan Jelic who died of a heart attack in September.
The Dayton peace accord that ended Bosnia's bloody 1992-1995 civil war split the country into two entities, the Muslim-Croat federation and RS. But the international community which safeguards peace in Bosnia has gradually stripped entities of most state powers in an effort to strengthen central government.
The EU has made it clear that stronger central institutions are essential for Bosnia's entry into the bloc. The country recently initialled a pre-membership agreement with the EU.
The elections signaled a slow comeback of SDS, formed by war time Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, after a defeat in parliamentary elections in October last year.
Karadzic and his wartime general Ratko Mladic have been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and have been fugitives for over a decade.
www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.1652610972