Polling stations open in Bosnia and Herzegovina — France 24

Polling stations opened in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday for general elections. Around 3.4 million voters are electing the three members of the country’s collective presidency, deputies to the national parliament, and heads of institutions in the two entities — the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a predominantly Muslim population, and Republika Srpska, where ethnic Serbs predominate.

As France 24 reports, voting did not begin on time at several polling stations due to difficulties with new digital technologies. For the first time, authorities introduced electronic voter identification and ballot scanning to prevent violations and organized manipulation that had previously called the fairness of elections into question.

Dodik’s influence on the campaign

One of the key figures in the campaign remains pro-Russian politician Milorad Dodik, although his name is not on the ballots. The former president of Republika Srpska was barred from holding public office after being convicted of failing to comply with the decisions of the international representative who oversees the implementation of the 1995 peace agreement.

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Before the elections, Dodik visited Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin, the president of the aggressor state, Russia. According to France 24, his party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, is likely to win the elections in Republika Srpska. At a final rally in Banja Luka, Dodik said that Bosnia was “dead,” calling it an “impossible country.”

Ethnic disputes and social problems

The state structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed after the 1992–1995 war by a peace agreement brokered by the United States. It was intended to regulate relations between Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs, and Catholic Croats. The war claimed more than 100,000 lives and displaced millions of people.

Despite the preservation of peace in recent years, politicians continue to exploit ethnic disputes. Bosnian Serb leaders, including Dodik, advocate for the secession of Republika Srpska, raising concerns among Western countries. At the same time, some voters speak of low living standards, poverty, and the outflow of young people from the country, accusing politicians of using nationalism instead of addressing social problems.