By KUNA,
Sarajevo : Initial official results of Sunday’s municipal elections in Bosnia showed that the ruling Croat, Muslim and Serb nationalist parties led the race.
Head of the electoral commission Suad Arnautovic told KUNA on Monday that the Independent Union of Social Democrats (SNSD) of Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik scored the best, with candidates elected mayors in 32 municipalities.
The Muslim Nationalist Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was the most successful in the Muslim-Croat Federation by winning in 28 municipalities, Arnautovic said.
The Party for Bosnia-Hercegovina, led by the Muslim chairperson of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, Haris Silajdzic, won in four towns only.
The nationalist Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) scored the best in mainly Croat municipalities by winning posts of mayors in 15 towns.
The results are partial and preliminary, Arnautovic stressed, adding that results from 25 municipalities have not yet reached the commission’s headquarters.
The commission did not provide the percentage of the votes counted nor results for municipal councils.
The final results have to be announced within the next 30 days. Turnout was 55 percent, higher than in previous 2004 local elections, and higher than analysts predicted.
The election campaign reflected the tense political situation since the 2006 general elections which propelled into office two key figures — Silajdzic and Dodik.