Bosnians vote amid ethnic splits

SARAJEVO, Oct 12 (AFP): Bosnia voted Sunday in general elections amid mounting social discontent in a country plagued with corruption and ethnic disputes hampering its approach to the European Union.

Nearly 20 years since a devastating war between its Croats, Muslims and Serbs the country is one of Europe's poorest and remains split along ethnic lines.

The 1992-1995 conflict, which killed 100,000 people, left the former Yugoslav Republic divided into two semi-autonomous entities-the ethnic Serb Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation-linked by weak central institutions.

Some 3.3 million voters are eligible to cast ballots to elect three members-a Croat, a Muslim and a Serb-of the joint presidency as well as a new central parliament. They will also elect assemblies for the two entities and a president in Republika Srpska.

"I will not vote for current rulers. They did not improve anything," Nadja Kadric, a librarian in her 50s, told AFP in Sarajevo, echoing the discontent of many Bosnians.

"I hope that many youngsters will vote and that they will have the courage to elect those who were never in power."

As always ahead of elections here, politicians have returned to nationalist rhetoric to attract votes, notably Bosnian Serbs.

Their leader, Milorad Dodik, running for a new term as Republika Srpska president, has renewed threats that his entity might secede. Such statements were a " manipulation" which could bring nationalists back to power, according to sociologist Ivan Sijakovic.

Ivana Saric, a student from Sarajevo, decided to vote for a small, multi-ethnic party. But she said she did not believe many would follow her example.

"People are afraid to choose major changes. Maybe they are traumatised by the past. Twenty years ago they chose democracy, later independence and then they had war."