Bosnia votes as pro-Russian politician looms large over race and stalled EU bid dominate election

Key Points:

• Bosnia's general election opened Sunday with 3.4 million voters choosing the three-member multi-ethnic presidency, national lawmakers, and leaders of its two entities amid ongoing ethnic divisions stemming from the 1992-95 conflict.
• New election security measures include electronic voter identification and ballot scanning to reduce irregularities, though voting delays occurred due to problems with the new digital technology.
• Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian former Republika Srpska president banned from office, dominated the campaign despite not being on the ballot, continuing to stoke separatist rhetoric and ethnic tensions.
• The election takes place amid widespread public disillusionment over poor living standards and political nationalism, with many voters frustrated by a lack of progress since the war.
• Bosnia remains one of Europe's poorest countries, with stalled EU integration efforts and continued influence from major powers like Russia and the US, while ethnic tensions persist, highlighted by controversial tributes to convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic.