Bosnia votes as pro-Russian politician looms large over the race and ethnic tensions simmer

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnia is set to hold a general election on Sunday, as the multi-ethnic nation focuses on everyday concerns while a pro-Russian politician dominates the campaign and exacerbates ethnic tensions that have kept the country divided since the 1992-95 war.

Three multi-ethnic presidency members, national lawmakers, and heads of institutions for Bosnia's two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, will be elected. The complex system of institutions was established through a U.S.-brokered peace agreement that concluded the war.

Milorad Dodik, a separatist and nationalist former president of the Serb-majority Republika Srpska, is a key figure in the election despite not being on the ballot. He was recently banned from public office after being convicted of defying decisions by the international envoy overseeing the peace agreement. Dodik's party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, is expected to win the election in Republika Srpska.

At a recent rally in Banja Luka, Dodik declared Bosnia "dead" and urged citizens to accept the impossibility of the country.

Dragan Bursac, an analyst, noted that despite Dodik's ban, he remains influential, appearing everywhere in the media, not just in Republika Srpska but throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bursac emphasized that these measures to ban Dodik have proven ineffective, allowing him to continue wielding power through alternative means.

While Bosnia has maintained peace in recent years, politicians have continued to exploit divisions between the country's Bosniaks, primarily Muslim, and Serbs and Croats. Bosnian Serb leaders, like Dodik, have advocated for the separation of their entity from the rest of Bosnia, leading to concerns among Western nations that tensions could flare up again.

Bosnia is one of the poorest countries in Europe and is still grappling with the aftermath of the 1992-95 conflict, which claimed over 100,000 lives and displaced millions. The nation is seeking European Union membership, but progress has been hindered due to the divided leadership and ongoing political instability.