Election results reflect ethnic rivalry in Bosnia

BOSNIA: Bosnia's Serbs and Muslims have elected leaders with opposing views of the county's future, prompting fears of increased tension as the international community tries to reduce its presence in the ex-Yugoslav republic.

Provisional results from Sunday's election showed Muslims elected Haris Silajdzic to represent them in the tripartite presidency, while Serbs chose Nebojsa Radmanovic, and two candidates were neck-and-neck in the race for the Croat seat.

A former prime minister during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war, Mr Silajdzic wants to unite the current Muslim-Croat Federation and Serb-dominated region - called Republika Srpska - into a single Bosnian state.

The leader of Mr Radmanovic's party, however, has vowed to press for independence for Republika Srpska if its existence is threatened, and has helped block internationally supported moves to strengthen Bosnia's central government.

The leading Croat candidates for the presidency have supported calls for a unified Bosnia - but have mooted the idea of a third, Croat, region if unification is impossible.

"We have ethnic representation, not citizens' representation," said Mr Silajdzic. "There are obviously parties that have different concepts . . . so we'll have to talk."

German diplomat Christian Schwarz-Schilling, whose role as international high representative in Bosnia is due to be abolished next year, said: "I would not say from the outset that the political constellation is such that people definitely cannot work together."

But analyst Emir Habul said: "Muslims and Serbs have coalesced around two opposite and hardline options."