Republished October 17, 2016 - 8:05 AM
Original Publication Date October 17, 2016 - 7:10 AM
SARAJEVO, Bosnia - Bosnia's Central Election Commission said Monday that final election results showed that a Bosnian Serb has been elected mayor of Srebrenica, a town known for the Bosnian Serb massacre of over 8,000 Muslims in 1995 that international courts defined as genocide.
Srebrenica ended up in the Serb part of Bosnia following the 1992-95 Bosnian war, and the town had Serbian mayors until Camil Durakovic, a Muslim, was elected in 2012. Durakovic's election encouraged many survivors of the massacre to return to the town.
The final count of the Oct. 2 vote showed that Mladen Grujicic had 768 more votes than Durakovic. Returnees said they again fear for their safety, particularly after a Serb orthodox priest organized a procession and blessed the municipal building over the weekend.
During a press conference Monday, Durakovic said he was not conceding the election and plans to file a complaint, claiming he had proof the municipal elections were rigged.
Errors during the counting process in Srebrenica, as well as a temporary takeover of ballots by the Bosnian Serb police, prompted Central Election Commission members to pick up the ballots and have them counted in Sarajevo.
Durakovic said the Bosnian Serb police takeover of ballots was illegal and he alleged that voters were bused into Srebrenica from Serbia to vote.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016