Nationalist Parties Celebrate Wins in Bosnia Election, But Many Voters Stay Home

“It was not a surprise because we as citizens cannot free ourselves from the ethno-national frameworks,” political analyst Tanja Topic told BIRN after Bosnia’s dominant nationalist parties claimed victory on October 4 in the general election. The [Bosniak] Party of Democratic Action, SDA, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ BiH, and the [Serb] Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, each remained the strongest force in their respective ethnic camps, while many voters stayed at home – and a new challenger shook up the Bosniak field. Topic said most voters clearly looked past the corruption, crime, nepotism and clientelism on which power rests, as each wave of national homogenisation follows another, leaving the country stuck in a vicious circle. Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article. Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber. Buy Premium Subscription Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe. Buy Premium Subscription If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us