Preliminary Results Show SNSD’s Siniša Karan Leading in RS Presidential Elections

The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CIK BiH) has released preliminary results of the early presidential elections in Republika Srpska, showing SNSD candidate Siniša Karan in the lead.

Karan has reportedly received approximately 216,000 votes (50.89%), while SDS candidate Branko Blanuša garnered around 188,000 votes (47.8%).

About 92.79% of polling stations have been counted.

Other candidates include Dragan Đokanović with 1,684 votes, Nikola Lazarević with 1,341, Igor Gašević with 1,172, and Slavko Dragičević with 928.

Earlier, SNSD leader Milorad Dodik declared Karan the winner, stating that his candidate was leading by around 10,000 votes after 98.06% of SNSD-reported ballots had been processed.

“This election result is a victory for Republika Srpska,” Dodik said, emphasizing that the win was achieved under “adverse conditions” and is of “undeniable significance” for the entity’s ruling party.

According to data presented by SNSD during Dodik’s address, Karan received 214,681 votes (51.18%), while Blanuša obtained 204,780 votes (48.81%). Dodik congratulated Karan on his “convincing victory,” describing it as indisputable.

The Serb Democratic Party (SDS) has categorically rejected the result declared by SNSD, alleging evidence of electoral fraud. SDS president Jovica Radulović stated that the party’s data from the field “tell a completely different story.”

“We do not accept or recognize their victory. The data from all processed polling stations indicate electoral fraud. We already saw this in 2021,” Radulović said, adding that the margin “is measured in hundreds of votes, but in favor of Branko Blanuša.”

SDS insists that the election cannot be declared final until votes from mobile teams, unconfirmed ballots, and approximately 20,000 overseas votes are fully counted.

SDS candidate Branko Blanuša also stressed that the results are not final. “We await the final decision with a request to repeat elections in Laktaši, Zvornik, and Doboj,” he said, adding that the electoral process “does not end tonight.”

The early elections were called following the revocation of Milorad Dodik’s mandate by CIK BiH due to a final ruling of the Court of BiH.

According to CIK, voter turnout was 35.78% (443,472 voters). On the ground, 139 mobile teams facilitated voting for 4,767 voters, 20,269 citizens voted by mail, and 258 voted at diplomatic-consular offices in Munich, Berlin, Vienna, and Belgrade. The election process was overseen by 639 accredited observers – 515 from NGOs and 99 from international institutions. Election costs were estimated at 6.46 million KM.

The “Pod lupom” coalition reported 19 major irregularities by 12:00 PM, including violations of the electoral silence, shortages of election materials, illegal publication of poll results, and pressure on voters. Family voting was recorded at 23.7% of polling stations, and at some locations, voters cast ballots without ID verification. CIK received 76 complaints throughout the day, while the RS police were notified of several irregularities, some of which were dismissed.

CIK also decided to repeat voting at polling station 068B005 “Korićani” in Kneževo, as the election there could not be conducted in accordance with the Election Law. The new date is set for November 30.