Krajisnik became speaker of the Bosnian parliament in 1990, before Serbs walked out and the war began. In 1998 Krajisnik lost his bid for re-election, defeated by a relatively moderate Serb leader, Zivko Radisic. At the time, Serb moderates were wresting control of republican affairs from hard-line nationalists like Krajisnik who were refusing to cooperate with international peace coordinators, jeopardizing reconstruction aid. After leaving the Bosnian presidency, Krajisnik remained a member of the board of the Serb Democratic Party founded by Karadzic a decade ago. But party officials said he was no longer politically active, focusing instead on his business interests and generally keeping a low profile.
Aides describe the widower and father of three as conservative and pious.
He considers separation based on ethnicity and religion to be natural. The arrest, coming ahead of next weekend's Bosnian municipal elections, heightened concerns that the voting could be marred by violence. It also might boost radical nationalist Serbs opposed to reconciliation in Bosnia. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.