BANJA LUKA – On 8 February, a snap presidential election in Republika Srpska will be repeated at 136 polling stations in 17 towns and municipalities. There are 84,474 eligible voters.
The voting for the president of the BiH entity took place on 23 November 2025 and, according to the preliminary results, saw a narrow win of Siniša Karan, a candidate of the ruling coalition, led by Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNDS).
Karan’s main challenger, Branko Blanuša, who was supported by the majority of the opposition parties, came in second place, as he won about 9,500 votes fewer than Karan.
Opposition parties filed a series of complaints about alleged irregularities in the elections, which the Central Election Commission of BiH accepted, and decided that early elections would be repeated at some polling stations. Meanwhile, Blanuša was elected the leader of the opposition Serb Democratic Party (SDS).
The early elections were called after the Central Election Commission decided to revoke Milorad Dodik’s mandate as President of the RS. He had previously been convicted by the top Court of BiH for refusing to implement decisions issued in 2023 by the High Representative in BiH, Christian Schmidt, and was banned from holding political office for six years.
A new president will only serve out the rest of Dodik’s original term in office, and the new presidential election will take place alongside the general election in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in early October 2026.
On 8 February, more than 4,000 observers will monitor the partial re-run of the snap elections, and the confirmed results will be announced within seven days
