Early presidential elections in Republika Srpska set for November 23

2025-08-28 15:51:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina has announced early presidential elections for Republika Srpska (RS) on November 23.

This position in the Serbian entity remained vacant after the Central Election Commission stripped Milorad Dodik of his mandate on August 18, based on a final decision of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by which he was sentenced to one year in prison and six years of ban on exercising public functions due to non-implementation of the decisions of the international High Representative.

Dodik refuses to step down from this position.

Meanwhile, the Assembly of Republika Srpska has adopted a series of unconstitutional laws and conclusions related to holding a referendum in this entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which citizens would have to express their opinion on the verdict of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina against Dodik and the decision of the Bosnian CEC that removed him from the mandate of the President of RS.

The Bosnian CEC has decided to call early elections for the president of RS, after the two vice presidents (a Bosniak and a Croat) were not stripped of their mandates.

The CEC meeting also approved the conclusion that the central voter list will close on August 27 of this year at 00:00. According to the electoral list, about 1 million 266 thousand voters have the right to vote.

To hold early elections for the president of Republika Srpska, it is necessary to allocate 6 million 490 thousand marks (about 3.2 million euros).

Bosnia and Herzegovina still does not have an approved budget and the state is operating on a temporary budget.

The Presidency in Bosnia submitted the draft budget on August 19, which also includes funding for holding early elections in RS.

To enter into force, the budget must also be approved by both houses of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Who will be able to vote in the elections?

All adult citizens with registered residence in the entity of Republika Srpska, who are on the electoral list, can vote for the president of this entity.

The Bosnian Central Election Commission manages the voter list.

Citizens can at any time check whether they are registered, where their polling station is located, and request registration or deletion, for example, of deceased persons from the voter list.

Who will organize the elections?

The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the body responsible for the organization and conduct of all elections in Bosnia – general, local and early.

The High Representative in Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, expanded the powers of the CEC through amendments to the Bosnian Election Law in March 2024. With these amendments, the CEC gained the right to appoint members of polling station councils, of which there were over 12,000 in the local elections that year alone.

In addition to accepting candidacies, the CEC will also have to organize the technical part: printing ballots and installing devices for electronic voter identification and electronic vote counting. This system is expected to be fully implemented throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina by the regular general elections in October 2026. /REL