Bosnia and Herzegovina’s general election has delivered more continuity than change. Preliminary results from Sunday’s vote show the two incumbents re-elected to the country’s three-member presidency, a new Croat member joining them, and the nationalist parties that have dominated politics for three decades holding on to their strongholds.
Turnout was about 41.5%, the lowest ever, down from 51.5% in 2022, according to the Central Election Commission’s figures from more than 90% of polling stations.
The presidency
Bosnia’s presidency is shared by one Bosniak, one Croat and one Serb member, each elected separately.
- Bosniak seat: Denis Bećirović of the Social Democrats was re-elected with about 38.1%, ahead of Bakir Izetbegović of the SDA, the largest Bosniak nationalist party, on 34%. Izetbegović conceded. Semir Efendić finished third.
- Serb seat: Željka Cvijanović of the SNSD was re-elected with about 55.6%, well ahead of Marinko Božović on 26.8%.
- Croat seat: Darijana Filipović of the HDZ BiH won with about 48.2%, ahead of Slaven Kovačević on 28.8%. She replaces Željko Komšić, who did not seek another term.
Republika Srpska and the parliaments
In Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity, the SNSD’s Savo Minić won the presidency by a clear margin, and his rival Branko Blanuša conceded. The SNSD remains the strongest party in the entity’s National Assembly with about 39% of the vote, up from 34.6% four years ago.
In the Federation, the Bosniak-Croat entity, the SDA was leading in early results, ahead of the Social Democrats and an HDZ-led coalition. Final results will take longer, as ballots from voters abroad still have to be counted.
Voters chose representatives at several levels at once: the presidency, the state parliament, the Federation parliament, Republika Srpska’s assembly, president and vice-presidents, and councils in ten municipalities. More than 7,000 candidates competed for 518 seats.
Dodik’s shadow
Milorad Dodik, the SNSD leader who lost the Republika Srpska presidency in 2025 after a court ruling against him, was not on the ballot. That did not stop him from declaring victory for his party at every level of government while votes were still being counted. Critics accuse Dodik of pursuing the secession of the Serb-majority entity, and his party’s strong showing suggests that tensions between the entity and the central institutions will continue.
New voting technology, teething problems
This was the first election in Bosnia to use biometric voter identification and ballot scanners on a wide scale, a reform aimed at preventing electoral fraud. Equipment problems forced some polling stations to close temporarily and others to stay open longer. Central Election Commission president Jovan Kalaba said faulty scanners were being replaced.
What it means for Bosnia’s EU hopes
Bosnia has been a candidate for European Union membership since late 2022, but progress depends on reforms that require agreement between the country’s ethnic parties. Forming governments in Bosnia often takes months, and with the same nationalist forces in charge and a record share of voters staying at home, there is little sign yet of a break in the deadlock that has held back reform.