Daniel Wolfram
A disgraced former Serb politician was barred from running in the Bosnian election. That did not stop him from declaring victory.
A barred nationalist politician just claimed election victory in Bosnia. Pro-Russian Serbian leader Milorad Dodik announced that his party swept Sunday’s elections in Bosnia, despite his ban from holding public office.
His right-wing ally, Željka Cvijanović, captured over 55 percent of the vote to secure the Serb seat in the country’s three-member presidency.
Speaking on Sunday night, Dodik praised U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin for encouraging his party’s success.
“No one should ask us to change our politics,” Dodik said, as reported by the Associated Press. “We will not give up, but continue for our people […] I cannot believe that we smashed it like this.”
Dodik has been dubbed the “Bosnian Trump” because of his antics. Like Trump, Dodik is known for his populist, anti-establishment rhetoric and has close ties to the MAGA movement.
Shadow over Sarajevo
Dodik was convicted last year of defying an international peace envoy. However, that did not stop the people from voting for his party.
He “is still in command. He is everywhere […] It is obvious that these measures to ban him from political life are not working, and he is using them,” said political analyst Dragan Bursać.
At a recent rally, Dodik openly mocked the state. Standing beside Russia’s ambassador, he declared Bosnia a “dead” state. He added, “It is an impossible country. It doesn’t make any sense.”
These bitter divisions continue to block Bosnia’s efforts to join the European Union. Voting follows strict ethnic lines among Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats.
Glitches at the booth
Voter turnout failed to reach 50% in Bosnia on Sunday, as only 42% of the population showed up to vote in the general election.
Only 1.4 million of the country’s 3.4 million eligible voters cast ballots. That is an 8% decline in voter turnout from the last election in 2022.
New electronic scanners caused delays at polling stations. As the Associated Press reported, tech problems forced 201 voting sites to stay open.
