With about 50.9% of the votes, according to the preliminary results announced by the Central Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sinisha Karan from the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats and a close ally of the dismissed president Milorad Dodik won the early presidential elections in the Republika Srpska.
“Our candidate clearly leads” – said Dodik after counting the votes, announcing Karan’s victory.
According to the CEC, his opponent from the Serbian Democratic Party, Branko Blanusha, received 47.81 percent of the vote, but the main opposition party in the Bosnian Serb entity claims fraud.
“We do not accept and recognize their victory, because the election results show a completely different situation,” said Jovica Radulovic, acting president of the Serbian Democratic Party.
“The data from the field, based on all the polling stations counted, confirm that another major electoral fraud took place in Republika Srpska,” he said, adding that despite this he is satisfied with the result achieved.
“I am absolutely sure that, without the electoral manipulation, I would have been able to declare victory in the elections,” he declared.
About 35.7% of 1.2 million citizens with the right to vote participated in Sunday’s elections. The Bosnian Serb entity went to snap elections after the ouster of Dodik, who was convicted of failing to implement the decisions of the international High Representative, Christian Schmidt, who oversees the implementation of the US-brokered Dayton Accords that ended the 1992-95 war.
After the announcement of the official results, Sinisha Karan will be able to lead Republika Srpska for less than a year, as general elections are held in the Bosnian Serb entity in October next year.
