site.btaElection Silence Starts in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska Ahead of Sunday’s Snap Presidential Elections

The election silence period began in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska on Saturday at 7:00 a.m. local time (8:00 a.m. Bulgarian time), ahead of Sunday’s early presidential elections. During the silence period, election campaigning is prohibited, as well as any activities that could interfere with the voting process, allowing for a period of reflection. The election campaign in Republika Srpska, which began on November 8, ended with the start of the election silence. 

The early presidential elections in Republika Srpska were called after the former President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik’s mandate was terminated following a final court decision sentencing him to one year in prison and a six-year ban on holding public office for failing to comply with the decisions of the High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After replacing the prison sentence with a fine, Dodik actively joined the SNSD's election campaign.

Six candidates will compete on Sunday for the presidential post, with the leading contenders being Sinisa Karan from the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and Branko Blanusa, nominated by the opposition Serb Democratic Party (SDS) and supported by the majority of opposition parties. The other four candidates are Nikola Lazarevic, chairman of the Ecological Party of Republika Srpska, Dragan Dokanovic, nominated by the Alliance for New Politics, and two independent candidates - Slavko Dragicevic and Igor Gasevic.

A total of 1,264,364 voters are registered in Republika Srpska, and the organization of the elections costs Bosnia and Herzegovina EUR 3.1 million.

According to the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia (1992–1995), the country is divided into two semi-autonomous entities - Republika Srpska, inhabited predominantly by Bosnian Serbs, and the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) and Bosnian Croats live. Each entity has its own government, parliament, and police, but the two are connected through joint state-level institutions, including the judicial system, the army, security services, and tax administration. The Dayton Agreement also defines the role of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, who has extensive powers, including the authority to impose laws and dismiss public officials.