The results of the weekend’s extraordinary elections for the presidency of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, are still too close to be officially declared yet.
According to the latest, unofficial results published by Bosnia’s Central Election Commission, Sinisa Karan, from the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, led by Milorad Dodik, won some 217,000 votes, to 209,000 won by the opposition candidate, Branko Blanusa.
With barely 8,000 votes difference, Dodik declared election victory on Sunday night. However, the final result may still change, pending the tallying of votes cast from abroad as well as the resolution of several complaints of election fraud, which could lead to re-run elections or recounts.
“The SNSD got definitively punished,” Aleksandar Trifunovic, chief editor of the Banja Luka-based magazine Buka (Noise) told BIRN. “They never expected such narrow results.”
Republika Srpska opposition parties announced that they would complain to the election commission and demand new elections in at least three municipalities – Laktasi, Doboj and Zvornik – where, according to them, election fraud was reported.