Milorad Dodik claims victory for his party in the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, although he did not appear on the ballots

On Monday, October 5, Milorad Dodik claimed victory for his party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), in the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Serbian nationalist politician, known for his pro-Russian and separatist positions, was not on the ballot, however, after being removed from office as president of Republika Srpska in 2025 and barred from running for six years.

Preliminary results, after more than 95% of the votes had been counted, indicate that Željka Cvijanović, a member of the SNSD, is on course to retain the seat reserved for Serbs in the country's tripartite presidency. Denis Bećirović is expected to remain the Bosniak representative, while the Bosniak-Croat nationalist candidate Darijana Filipović claimed victory for the seat reserved for Croats.

Dodik thanked his supporters and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had expressed his support for the SNSD before the election. He also attributed the success to Donald Trump's victory, saying that it had prevented the political demise of his party.

“If it had not been for Donald Trump's magnificent victory, we would probably be political corpses today,” Dodik said.

The SNSD is also expected to retain control over the parliament and presidency of Republika Srpska, the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity. Voter turnout was approximately 42%, nearly ten percentage points lower than in 2022.

The election reflects the complex electoral system created by the 1995 Dayton Agreement, which divides power among Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats. The elections are taking place amid ethnic tensions, political deadlock, and Bosnia and Herzegovina's delayed European path.