Five Months Until the New Government?
The recent general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina took place on October 3, 2010, but the process of forming a new government is far from finished. Reports from the Central Election Commission show that the number of invalid ballots for the election of members of the state presidency, and also other levels of government remains high. These reports show that more than 100,000 ballots were invalid for members of the Presidency alone, which is 100 percent more than all previous elections thus far. The Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) has requested a thorough investigation due to the high number of invalid votes for the Bosnian Serb President, and in response to the marginal win of SNSD Nebojsa Radmanovic over Mladen Ivanic of the PDP.
The Central Election Commission began a recount of votes in several polling stations on October 15, 2010, in the presence of election observers. It is necessary for 38 polling stations to recount the ballots for all levels of government and 19 polling stations must count the ballots only for certain levels of government. Then the Central Election Commission is currently trying to determine the results, which means consolidating the numbers from ordinary polling stations, polling places where voters voted absentee, electors who voted by mail, etc.
The formation of a new government after general elections in BiH has been a lengthy and difficult process in the past. Aside from the setback of the invalid ballots, it may now take weeks or even months to form new governments at the state level, in the Federation of BiH and in the Republika Srpska. It remains to be seen how much time it will take the 2010 election winners to agree on power sharing and whether or how a coalition will be established. Judging from the past, High Representative Valentin Inzko voiced doubt that a national coalition would be formed before February 2011.
Image from Radio Free Europe
Journey East 
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