The BiH Central Election Commission has partially annulled the results of the election of representatives from Republika Srpska (RS) to the House of Peoples of the state parliament, so the final decision on whether Milorad Dodik will have a control package there will depend on a draw of candidates by lot.

The Central Election Commission (CIK) decided on Monday that one ballot used by the representatives in the RS parliament last week to decide on the representatives from the Serb entity in the state House of Peoples was nevertheless valid, even though it was filled in incorrectly.

This means that it will be decided by lot whether Dodik's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) will have three or four out of five representatives in the House of Peoples or whether one of those seats will go to the opposition Party of Democratic Progress (PDP).

If the PDP gets that position, it will mean that the opposition will have two representatives in the Serb caucus of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament because one seat was previously won by the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS).

The House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament consists of five representatives each from the three constituent peoples. The body has great powers because it approves or rejects all laws and decisions made by the House of Representatives.

Two possible seats in the Serb caucus theoretically opens the possibility for the RS opposition to participate in the state government because with those votes, it can ensure the passing of laws or prevent any possible veto the SNSD could resort to if it remained in the opposition with four MPs.

Dodik previously agreed in principle on a coalition at the state level with the HDZ BiH and a bloc of Bosniak and civic parties led by the SDP BiH, but that agreement could be spoiled by a situation in which he would be left without full control over the decision-making process in the House of Peoples.