RS Election Commission refuses to organise early presidential vote, state watchdog says they’re not competent

Oliver Blagojevic, the head of RIK RS, told RTRS that the body would “fully respect the conclusions of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (NSRS)” and that he expects other institutions at both the entity and local levels to do the same.

CEC BiH has already scheduled the early elections for October 23. Responding to questions about possible obstructions, CEC President Irena Hadziabdic said the institution is prepared.

“We faced similar threats of obstruction before the 2024 elections, and members of the election administration were even called on to resign. That did not affect our work then, and I assume it will not now. The law has mechanisms to replace members of election bodies who refuse to work with those who will. All members of municipal and city election commissions have seven-year mandates and are obliged to respect the Election Law and CEC instructions. At this moment, we have no indications of problems within the election administration,” Hadziabdic said.

Blagojevic, for his part, confirmed that “not a single member of municipal or city election commissions has submitted their resignation, despite calls from certain institutions.”

Should obstructions occur in Republika Srpska, the CEC has already identified a solution: 48 polling stations will be opened in the Federation of BiH to allow voting in absentia.

“Even if no one were to vote in RS, voters in the Federation could still decide the outcome,” Hadziabdic emphasised.

In April 2024, five out of seven members of RIK RS resigned after one of the commission’s sessions, with then-president Blagojevic confirming that their resignations had been submitted to the RS National Assembly. However, the assembly never formally accepted the resignations, meaning the current composition of RIK RS remains legally valid.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska adopted a new entity-level Election Law, which was later challenged before the Constitutional Court of BiH.