Hard-Liner at Helm, but Moderates Gain

Final election results confirmed the victory of an ultranationalist as president of the Bosnian Serb republic but also showed moderates made gains. Nikola Poplasen’s victory over Western-backed Biljana Plavsic is seen by some as a setback for Western efforts to bridge the ethnic divide in Bosnia, but international organizers of the elections insisted the results were a success as moderates advanced throughout the country. Results for the 83-seat national assembly of the Serbian republic showed that a bloc of hard-line parties won 36 seats and will not have an outright majority to form a government.