2025 Republika Srpska presidential election

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2025 Republika Srpska presidential election
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President before election
Vacant
(de jure)
Milorad Dodik
(de facto)

SNSD

Elected President

TBD

Early presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 23 November 2025. The elections were announced by the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the premature removal of Milorad Dodik from office by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 12 June 2025. [1] Dodik and his party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, rejected the court's decision and have, consequently, refused to take part in the election. [2]

Contents

Background

In February 2025, Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik was convicted by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a first-instance verdict and was sentenced to one year imprisonment, and was also banned from performing the duties of the president of Republika Srpska for six years due to anti-constitutional conduct. [3] Dodik refused to recognize the ruling and introduced laws barring federal law enforcement agencies from operating in Republika Srpska, prompting the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to issue arrest warrants against him and other senior officials of Republika Srpska in March 2025. [4]

On 4 July 2025, Dodik voluntarily appeared before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. [5] The hearing was conducted following a motion submitted by the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Acting upon the motion, the Court issued a decision revoking the previously ordered arrest warrant against Dodik, replacing it with a precautionary measure only requiring him to report periodically to a designated state authority. [6]

On 1 August 2025, the first-instance verdict against Dodik from February of that year was confirmed by the court's Appellate panel. [7] On 6 August, the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina ordered Dodik's removal as president of Republika Srpska, a decision which would take effect after an appeals period expired. [8] On 12 August, the Bosnian state court commuted his one year prison sentence to a fine of 36,500 Bosnian marks. [9] On 18 August, Dodik's appeal against the decision of the Central Election Commission was rejected and his mandate as Republika Srpska president was officially terminated, with the termination date marked as 12 June 2025, due to the Bosnian state court's verdict becoming legally binding on that day. [10] [11] The National Assembly of Republika Srpska rejected the court's decision and supported Dodik as the president. [12]

Candidates

The Central Election Commission announced that early presidential elections will be held on 23 November 2025. [1] Dodik, who is also leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), the largest party in the entity, said that the SNSD will not participate in the election. [2] Contrarily, minor opposition leaders, Jelena Trivić of the People's Front and Nebojša Vukanović of For Justice and Order, announced that they would support the Serb Democratic Party's candidate in the election. [13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Prijevremeni izbori za predsjednika RS 23. novembra" [Early election for the president of Republika Srpska on 23 November]. N1 (in Serbo-Croatian). Sarajevo. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Dodik kaže da njegova stranka neće na prijevremene izbore za predsjednika RS" [Dodik says that his party will not participate in the election for the president of Republika Srpska]. Večernji list (in Croatian). Zagreb. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Bosnia Serb leader Dodik found guilty of defying peace envoy". France 24 . 26 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  4. ↑ "Bosnia issues new nationwide arrest warrant for Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik". Euronews . 17 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  5. ↑ A.Ku. (4 July 2025). "Dodik se sa Bubićem u Tužilaštvu BiH pojavio danas iza 14:00 sati" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  6. ↑ "Dodik dao iskaz u Tužilaštvu BiH, ukinuti mu pritvor i potjernica". N1 (in Bosnian). 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Milorad Dodik convicted: Appeals Court confirms one-year sentence and political ban". N1. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "Separatist Bosnian Serb leader Dodik removed from office". Al Jazeera . 6 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Melez, Selma (12 August 2025). "Bosnian Court Commutes Milorad Dodik's Jail Sentence to a Fine". Balkan Insight.
  10. ↑ "Milorad Dodik više nije predsjednik Republike Srpske, Sud BiH odbio njegovu žalbu". Klix. 18 August 2025.
  11. ↑ "Pročitajte kompletnu odluku Suda BiH: Ovo je presuda - Milorad Dodik više nije predsjednik RS". radiosarajevo.ba (in Bosnian). 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "NSRS raspisala referendum i odbacila presude protiv Dodika" (in Croatian). Mostar: Bljesak.info. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Knežević, Boris (28 August 2025). "Prijevremeni izbori za predsjednika RS 23. novembra" [What is the opposition waiting for: Dodik and SNSD are ready for the election, in SDS there are too many cooks in the kitchen]. Srpska.info (in Serbian). Banja Luka. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
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