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Struggle For Control Of Srebrenica In Local Polls


A man casts his vote at a polling booth in Potocari, near Srebrenica.
A man casts his vote at a polling booth in Potocari, near Srebrenica.
Voters in Bosnia-Herzegovina have cast ballots for local councils and mayors.

The October 7 voting included a battle for control of Srebrenica, where Serbian forces massacred some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995.

The town was overwhelmingly Muslim before Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war, but Serbs are now said to hold a majority.

New rules have prevented Muslims who fled Srebrenica, but were still registered as voters there, to cast ballots in this year’s vote.

Muslims say they fear that Serbs who deny that a genocide occurred in Srebrenica will take power.

Nationwide, the election results are expected to indicate the strength of political parties, two years before the next scheduled parliamentary and presidential elections in 2014.

Bosnia remains largely still divided between its Muslim, Serbian, and Croatian communities.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa

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