Reformists gain in Bosnia elections, though change unlikely

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Reformists who ran on fighting corruption appeared set to win an important race in Bosnia’s elections that could give them greater sway over the direction of the ethnically divided country. The first preliminary results from Sunday’s elections showed cooperation-prone contenders Denis Becirovic and Zeljko Komsic, on course to win respective Bosniak and Croat seats in the tripartite presidency. However, they were likely to be joined by Zeljka Cvijanovic, the candidate of the strongest Bosnian Serb party – the secessionist and staunchly pro-Russian SNSD. Moscow has often been accused of seeking to destabilize the Balkans through its Serb allies in the region.