Milorad Dodik’s ally wins a seat in the tripartite presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to partial results announced on Sunday

Ally of Bosnian Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik, Zeljka Cvijanovic, won the election for one of the three seats in the tripartite presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to partial results announced on Sunday. After nearly 90% of the votes had been counted, Cvijanovic, the representative of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, had secured more than 55% of the votes.

Dodik, whose name did not appear on the ballots after he was convicted of violating the decisions of the international envoy for Bosnia, claimed victory for his party and an “overwhelming majority” in the Republika Srpska Assembly. He promised to continue his nationalist and separatist policies, citing the support of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The election took place amid tensions between Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats, who have blocked Bosnia’s reforms and European path. Voter turnout was approximately 42%, eight percentage points below the 2022 level. The elections introduced electronic identification and ballot scanning, but hundreds of polling stations reported delays due to technical problems.