2018 Bosnian General Election Sunday Oct 07,2018

Polls have opened in Bosnia for a general election that could install a pro-Russian nationalist to a top post and cement ethnic divisions drawn in a brutal war more than 20 years ago.

Sunday Oct 07,2018's vote is seen as a test of whether Bosnia will move towards integration in the European Union and NATO  or remain entrenched in war-era rivalries.

Around 3.3 million people are eligible to vote for an array of institutions in Bosnia's complex governing system, which was created by accords that ended the war but guaranteed a failing state.

It was with the Dayton Peace Agreement signed in December 1995 that ended the war in Bosnia. 100,000 people died and millions were left homeless.

With 128 political entities, 53 parties and 36 coalitions at all levels of government, Bosnians are voting in an election as complex as the country itself, a nation fractured along ethnic lines and paralysed by competing power centres.

The country consists of a Serb ("Republika Srpska") and a Bosniak-Croat ("Federation") entity joined in a central government.

Voters are casting ballots for the Bosnian presidency, the Serb president, common and the two entities' parliaments and cantonal authorities.

The main focus is on Bosnia's tripartite presidency, which is the country's top executive and internationally representative body.

The office of the presidency is shared by one Bosniak, one Serb and one Croat, who rotate positions.