Bosnian Serb referendum overshadows local elections

Bosnian voters on Sunday are taking part in local elections a week after Republika Srpska -- one of the two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina -- overwhelmingly passed a controversial referendum creating a “national holiday” in defiance of the country’s highest court.

Over 3.2 million people are eligible to vote in today’s contests to choose 131 new mayors; voting will end this evening.

Around 30,500 candidates from 102 political parties, 103 coalitions -- plus 171 independents -- are taking part.

Seventy-four municipal councils in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are also up for grabs while 57 municipal assemblies in Republika Srpska will be contested.

However, some critics have suggested last Sunday’s Bosnian Serb referendum was used to rally party political support ahead of today’s local polls.

In results released last Monday, over 99 percent of voters in the Serb-majority territory voted to make Jan. 9 “Statehood Day” -- fuelling fears the referendum could be a first step towards seeking independence from Bosnia, a country torn apart by violent ethnic conflict in the 1990s.

According to Bosnia's Central Election Commission nearly 7,000 observers will be on duty during today’s voting.