Results Show Bosnian Serb Elected Mayor Of Srebrenica For First Time Since 1999

Results indicate that that Mladen Grujicic won more than 50 percent of the ballots in Srebrenica's mayoral election (file photo).

Bosnia's Central Election Commission has confirmed that results from local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina show a Bosnian Serb has been elected as the mayor of Srebrenica for the first time since 1999.

Results confirmed on October 17 indicated that Mladen Grujicic won 54.4 percent of the ballots that were cast on October 2, defeating the Muslim incumbent, Mayor Camil Durakovic.

Durakovic was not immediately available for comment, but he had earlier contested the results, claiming "irregularities" at the polls.

Preliminary results had shown Grujicic winning 70 percent of the Srebrenica vote.

But a ballot recount was ordered after complaints of irregularities.

The recount was halted on October 5 when Bosnian Serb police moved into the offices of municipal election authorities -- seizing ballot boxes and questioning the municipal election chairman Nermin Alivukovi.

Alivukovi complained that the police action was "direct pressure on the work of the municipal election commission."

With reporting by AFP