Early elections for president of BiH's Republika Srpska entity set for November 23

The court ruling, which followed Dodik’s conviction and a one-year prison sentence, prohibits him from political activity for six years. In line with this, the CEC terminated his mandate as president of RS, triggering the early election.

During debate, CEC member Zeljko Bakalar emphasized that the Commission was legally obliged to call elections. However, he raised concerns about the provision specifying that only candidates from the Serb community can run for RS president. Bakalar argued that both the Constitution and Bosnia’s Election Law recognize that candidates from all three “constituent peoples” — Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs — should be eligible.

Other members, including Jovan Kalaba, countered that while allowing Bosniak or Croat candidates would not be unconstitutional, it could create confusion. Kalaba noted that under the RS Constitution, the entity must have one president from the Serb community and two vice presidents from the other two groups. Since the current vice presidents are Bosniak and Croat, only a Serb candidate can legally assume the presidency at this time.

CEC chairwoman Irena Hadziabdic acknowledged the legal gray area, pointing out that similar questions arose in 2007 following the death of then-president Milan Jelic. Since Bosnia’s Election Law has never been amended to clarify the issue, she warned that restricting candidacies could undermine democratic pluralism and leave many voters without viable options.

The budget for organizing the early election is set at 6 million BAM.