Silajdzic ahead in race for Bosnian presidency

SARAJEVO - Bosnia's wartime foreign minister Haris Silajdzic leads in the race for the Muslim member of the state tri-presidency against incumbent Sulejman Tihic, organisers of an October 1 vote said on Monday.

Silajdzic is the strongest advocate of the abolition of Bosnia's two autonomous regions - the Muslim-Croat federation and the Serb Republic - which Bosnian Serbs hotly oppose.

With about 40 per cent of the votes counted Silajdzic polled 38 per cent of the votes against 18 per cent for Tihic, the election commission said.

The presidency has a Muslim, a Serb and a Croat member and the chair rotates. It shares executive powers with the government whose head it nominates.

Bosnia's peace overseers have viewed Silajdzic and Bosnian Serb Republic Prime Minister Milorad Dodik as the main culprits for inflammatory ethnic rhetoric in the run-up to the presidential and parliamentary vote.

"We have ethnic representation, not citizens' representation. There are obviously parties that have a different concept ... so we'll have to talk," Silajdzic said amid jubilant supporters.

- REUTERS