Bosnians voted on Sunday (October 4) in elections which could impact their European Union membership bid and the influence that the United States and Russia seek over the small Balkan nation.

Voters were casting ballots for the country's central tripartite presidency and national parliament, alongside regional legislative races in its two federal entities.

Bosnia is using biometric voter identification, ballot scanners and electronic transmission of results for the first time in a general election. Voters still mark paper ballots, with the new technology designed to reduce fraud and improve transparency.

Voter frustration has grown over an economic slowdown, the slow pace of EU entry talks and a lingering political crisis in which the ethnically based dominant parties from the two entities have repeatedly stalled decisions by the weak central government that links them.

Preliminary results are expected to be released by the Central Election Commission later on Sunday after polls close at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT).

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (OCTOBER 4, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VOTER REGISTERING

2. VOTER IN BOOTH

3. VARIOUS OF VOTER CASTING BALLOT IN NEW SCANNING BALLOT BOX

4. VOTER REGISTERING

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) SUZANA SACIC, SAYING:

"What I'm pinning my hopes on is that the younger generations coming through are far smarter than we ever were. I just hope they won't carry the same kind of fear that we do, the fear that has kept us retreating into our national camps for over thirty and more years now. Ultimately, my biggest hope lies with these young people. I believe they will vote for a better world, one that is finally free from national divides and the obsession with ethnic line-counting."

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) ISMAR GARASLJEVIC, SAYING:

"Sadly, it's the exact same faces on the ballot papers, so I really don't have any high expectations. And I do mean 'sadly'. More than thirty years after the war, the situation remains unchanged. We're still bogged down in nationalism and the same old issues, while completely ignoring the youth, the economy, jobs, and progress. It's always the same faces, the same old story."

BANJA LUKA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (OCTOBER 4, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

7. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUEING AT POLLING STATION

8. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE REGISTERING AND VOTING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) DUSAN CVIJIC, 76, SAYING:

"What has been done so far has been inadequate. People are struggling; life is very hard. There are ways to improve things, because Republika Srpska has great potential, if things are done honestly, to give people a decent life."

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) REAL-ESTATE AGENT, LJUBISA ACIMOVIC, 43, SAYING:

"To be honest, I'm not expecting any drastic changes here. Essentially, we're the type of society that's grown used to that kind of politics, so it all just merges together. The government and the opposition are fundamentally one and the same. As for expecting something better, well, of course, it's only human nature to hope."

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) ECONOMIST, LJUBINKA DJUKIC, 61, SAYING:

"I expect things to take a turn for the better, that is, an actual change for the better. The life we're living today, the way we live, I can't say it's bad, but it could certainly be improved. At the end of the day, we have good candidates, good people, so once again, I'm expecting that positive shift."

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) STREET MUSICIAN, DRAGISLAV RADIC, 55, SAYING:

"Generally speaking, people are complacent and short-sighted, with a sort of 'as long as I'm sorted for now' mindset. That's a massive mistake. If we want what's best for ourselves and our nation, we have to look at the long game and develop a sense of the collective good. And that's something we're still lacking here."

13. STREET SCENE

14. ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL

15. PALACE OF THE REPUBLIC

16. SERB REPUBLIC FLAG