Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidential Council Election Results Announced

According to the first unofficial results announced by the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CIK), more than 90 percent of the votes have been counted.

In the election for the Bosnian membership of the Presidential Council, Denis Becirovic received 38.11 percent of the votes, Bakir Izetbegovic 33.95 percent, Semir Efendic 25.79 percent and Fahrudin Radoncic 2.15 percent.

Becirovic, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which entered the election with the support of 14 political parties by the "United for the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina" bloc, thanked the citizens who trusted him in his statement and said, "Liberal, antifascist and civil Bosnia and Herzegovina is alive." he said.

Emphasizing that the country's strategic direction in foreign policy should not change, Becirovic said that they will continue to move towards the European Union (EU) and NATO, and that the future of the region is in the European model, not the Russian model.

Stating that he would not celebrate his victory, Becirovic stated that there were people living in difficult conditions in the country and that the election campaign was the longest and most difficult campaign to date.

Democratic Action Party (SDA) Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic accepted defeat.

In his speech after the results were announced, Izetbegovic stated that he failed to win, but his party got a better result compared to the general elections in 2022, and said, "The important thing is that SDA won." he said.

Izetbegovic, who said that his own vote fell behind his party this time and that they would evaluate the reasons for this, noted that he was much closer to his opponent Denis Becirovic than before.

Semir Efendic, who ran for election on behalf of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Party, also emphasized that the most important issue after the elections is the establishment of a government that will work better, and said that final results should be awaited.

Efendic stated that his party is closer to the opposition parties for partnership in the formation of the government.

FİLİPOVIC WAS ELECTED FOR THE CROATIA MEMBERSHIP, CVIJANOVIC WAS ELECTED FOR THE SERBIA MEMBERSHIP

Darijana Filipovic, candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH), won the Croatian membership of the Presidential Council with 48.19 percent of the votes.

Democratic Front (DF) candidate Slaven Kovacevic received 28.79 percent of the votes, while independent candidate Zdenko Lucic received 23.02 percent of the votes.

In his speech after the results were announced, Filipovic congratulated the other members with whom he will serve in the council for 4 years and noted that he wanted their work to be an example of how institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina can function differently.

Stating that Bosnia and Herzegovina is also their homeland, Filipovic expressed that he was proud of the victory and the campaign they carried out.

The Serbian membership of the Presidential Council was won by Zeljka Cvijanovic, the candidate of the Union of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), led by Milorad Dodik, the deposed president of the Republika Srpska (RS), one of the two entities in the country.

Cvijanovic took first place with 55.33 percent of the votes. Serbian Democratic Party candidate Marinko Bozovic received 26.55 percent of the votes, while Party for Justice and Order candidate Nebojsa Vukanovic received 18.11 percent of the votes.

In his statement, Cvijanovic thanked the citizens and party volunteers and stated that the victory belonged to SNSD led by Milorad Dodik.

"Our policy is a stable and strong Republika Srpska," Cvijanovic said. he said.

SNSD candidate Savo Minic won the RS presidency with 52.04 percent of the votes.

ELECTION PARTICIPATION 41.5 PERCENT

In the elections to the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SDA became the first party in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH) with 31.57 percent, while SNSD won the election in RS with 40.94 percent.

In Brcko, which has a special status, voters cast their votes to determine the names of those who will serve in the government.

In addition to the state-level presidential council and parliament, members of parliament were elected in two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH) and Republika Srpska (RS), and in 10 cantons within the FBIH.

Voters in FBIH also voted for the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Parliament of FBIH and cantonal parliaments, while voters in RS went to the polls for the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Presidency and Vice-President of the RS, and the People's Assembly of the RS.

The Bosniak and Croat members of the Presidential Council, the highest position in the state, were elected from FBIH, and the Serbian member was elected from RS.

CIK announced that participation in the election was 41.5 percent.