Bosnians voted on Sunday in elections that could affect the country’s European Union membership bid and the influence the United States and Russia seek over the small Balkan nation.

Voters were casting ballots for the central tripartite presidency and the national parliament, alongside regional races in the country’s two federal entities, according to Reuters. Preliminary results are expected after polls close at 7 pm.

Voter frustration has grown over an economic slowdown, the slow pace of EU entry talks and a lingering political crisis in which ethnic-based dominant parties have repeatedly stalled decisions by the weak central government.

Bosnia secured EU candidate status in December 2022 and the green light to open accession negotiations in 2024, but actual talks have not started because domestic leaders have yet to pass core requirements such as judicial oversight and anti-corruption laws.

The vote pits rival ethnic parties — the Bosniak SDA, Serb SNSD and Croat HDZ BiH — against multi-ethnic opposition coalitions led by the Social Democratic Party. Tracking platform Poliwave showed the SDA with a narrow national lead of 21.4 per cent, followed by the SDP on 16.7 per cent.