Bijeljina, Bosnia - Bosnia's Serb parliament elected a new government led by a pro-western moderate yesterday in a major defeat for hardline nationalists, who boycotted the vote. A parliamentary majority backed Mr Milorad Dodik, leader of the Independent Social Democrats, as prime minister to head a government of "national unity".
The new prime minister was nominated by the westernbacked Bosnian Serb President, Ms Biljana Plavsic, who has been waging a power struggle against hardline opponents for months.