Serbs in Bosnia voted Sunday on whether to keep celebrating a statehood day in January, a date tied to the fragile nation's brutal 1990s war and a sensitive issue for other ethnic groups.
The poll was the brainchild of Milorad Dodik, nationalist leader of the Bosnian Serb-run entity Republika Srpska (RS), which partners the Muslim-Croat Federation in the divided country.
Dodik hailed what he described as a high turnout and "festive atmosphere" after casting his ballot.
In staging the vote, he flouted a veto by Bosnia's constitutional court, disapproval by the United States and the European Union -- and even the reservations of Serbia, RS' foremost ally. But his initiative was supported by Russia.
Some 1.2 million voters were entitled to cast a ballot on whether they want to continue celebrating their "Republic Day" on January 9.
The date has huge emotional resonance in Bosnia, stirring memories of nationalist fervour, trauma and bloodshed.
It marks the proclamation of a "Republic of Serb people" in Bosnia that took place three months before the inter-ethnic 1992-1995 conflict that claimed 100,000 lives.
The founders of that "republic" included Radovan Karadzic -- sentenced in March to 40 years' jail for genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the war that also displaced more than two million people.
Polls opened at 7 am local time (0500 GMT) and closed at 7 pm (1700 GMT). Voting passed off without incident.
"I came to vote because every nation and every state has its own national holiday. Accordingly, our Serbian people must have their holiday," said Vojo Vujakovic, 60, at a polling station near the Bosnian Serb capital of Banja Luka.
Bosnia's constitutional court cancelled the referendum, ruling that the holiday is illegal for discriminating against non-Serbs, but Dodik pressed ahead in defiance of the edict.
Valentin Inzko, the international envoy to Bosnia, described the vote as "pointless" and declared it was void of "any legal consequences".
"This referendum has sparked a lot of tension... but there won't be war," he added.
- 'Playing with fire' -
"The Republic is going into a referendum. It's a great day for our Republic and our people," Dodik said on Friday after a trip to Moscow, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We have to show our dignity, that we are a democratic people and that we have the right to make our own decisions," he said.
But Bosnian Serb opposition representative Mladen Ivanic denounced the poll as "adventurism" and vowed not to participate.
The Dayton peace agreement that ended Bosnia's war split the country into two semi-independent entities, the RS and a Muslim-Croat Federation.
But analysts say that the institutional bonds between the entities remain weak and prone to instability.
Some fear Dodik is warming up for a referendum on the independence of RS, which he has repeatedly threatened to carry out.
Bosnian Muslim leader Bakir Izetbegovic said Sunday: "There will be no war and no one will destroy the Republika Srpska. We will take care of this country, the Dayton accords and all of the citizens, Serbs, Croats and Bosnians."
He had earlier accused Dodik of "playing with fire", and a wartime commander of Bosnian Muslim forces, Sefer Halilovic, accused him of "crossing the red line".
But some commentators say a conflict is unlikely and suggest a crisis is being stoked to boost nationalists' chances in upcoming local elections.
Anecdotal evidence pointed to strong support from the Bosnian Serb public for the vote.
Placards urging people to turn out and cast their ballots dotted roadsides across the RS in the days leading up to the poll.
Other signs pictured Dodik along with the words: "The force of Srpska".
