Serb separatist Dodik declares victory in Bosnia vote as ethnic tensions and EU hopes collide
Dodik said his party kept power as official figures showed 42% turnout and preliminary results put his ally ahead in the Serb presidency race.
- On Sunday, SNSD leader Milorad Dodik declared a "magnificent victory" for his party in Bosnia's election, crediting Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump for the win.
- At a rally in Banja Luka on Friday, Dodik told supporters Bosnia "is dead" and "doesn't make any sense," continuing separatist rhetoric while defying national authorities despite his legal ban from office.
- The Central Election Commission reported a 42% turnout, with technical delays affecting 201 of 1,957 polling stations, while ally Zeljka Cvijanovic secured more than 55% of votes for a presidency seat.
- Analysts warn the results deepen ethnic divisions rooted in the 1995 Dayton peace agreement, raising instability fears as Dodik remains influential despite his legal ban from public office.
- Expert Adnan Cerimagic said Dodik's rhetoric should be viewed as part of a "long escalation" rather than current reality, as the country struggles with governance amid external ethnic pressures.
130 Articles
130 Articles
He was not on the ballot, yet he is the big winner of the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Milorad Dodik, now the undisputed leader of the Bosnian Serbs. His candidate for the country's three-member presidency, and that for the Bosnian Serb constituent republic, both won with more than fifty percent of the votes. The Bosniaks (Muslims) and Bosnian Croats also mostly voted along ethnic lines, which does not make the already difficult national…
In the Serbian part of the country, the party of the separatist leader Dodik strengthens its power. He thanks Trump – without his election, the separatists would be "probably political corpses".
West-defying Serb leader celebrates victory in Bosnia and Herzegovina election
Milorad Dodik’s party retains its influence in Republika Srpska and keeps the Serb seat in the national presidency Milorad Dodik, the former president of Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has...
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
vienna.atThe new balance of power puts pressure on the central state structure, and the historically low turnout shows that many citizens have lost confidence in politics.
They will probably try to govern together, as often happens, even if they have different and partly irreconcilable goals
According to unofficial results of Sunday's general elections, the BiH presidency will have a new Croat member, Darijana Filipović from the HDZ BiH, in addition to the two current members. Among the winners of the elections is also Milorad Dodik, who was not allowed to run, but his SNSD retained power in Republika Srpska. After his victory, Dodik announced the continuation of the current policies.
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