|
Multi-Ethnic
Party Inches Ahead In Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Half
SARAJEVO (AFP) -
The multi-ethnic opposition Social Democrats pulled slightly ahead of the
nationalists in the race for the parliament of the Muslim-Croat half of Bosnia,
the OSCE announced Tuesday.
With 70% of
ballots counted, the Social Democratic Party had garnered 25.9% the vote
compared to 25.1% for the Muslim nationalist Party of Democratic Action (SDA).
The nationalist
Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) came third with 19.5%. The SDP was also ahead in
the race for the 28 Muslim-Croat seats in the 42-seat state parliament with
26.6%, followed by the SDA, which had 24.9%. The HDZ came third with 23.1%.
Preliminary results unveiled Monday showed nationalists well ahead in all races.
But the latest
tallies included votes from the major urban Muslim areas, seen as a stronghold
of the SDP, according to the OSCE.
The nationalist
Serb Democratic Party (SDS) remained well ahead in all three races in the
Serb-run half of Bosnia, Republika Srpska.
The SDS party's
candidate for the Bosnian Serb presidency, Mirko Sarovic, was leading with
49.1%, well ahead of main challenger and outgoing premier Milorad Dodik, who
enjoyed support from the West.
The SDS garnered
41.7% of votes in the race for the 14 Bosnian Serb seats in the state
parliament. The reformist Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) came second with
16.8% followed by Dodik's Party of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), which
took 13%.
The nationalist
SDS garnered 37.5% of the vote in the election for the Bosnian Serb assembly,
followed by the SNSD, which took 16.2%. The PDP came third with 13.2%. 
|
