Separatist Karan wins re-election as president of Republika Srpska
In the Republika Srpska, part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbian separatist candidate Sinisa Karan won the partial presidential election, according to the country's Central Election Commission, DW reports.
Even before the official announcement of the results, Karan declared his victory, and his opponent from the largest opposition force, Branko Blanus, conceded defeat. The partial re-election took place at 136 of approximately 2,200 polling stations, with about 84,500 citizens eligible to vote again.
The decision to hold the re-election was made due to violations recorded during the voting on 23 November. At that time, Karan was ahead of Blanus by almost 9,600 votes, which theoretically left the opposition with a chance for revenge. According to the CEC, almost 42,000 voters, or 49.5 per cent of the total number, took part in the re-election. This time, Karan's lead increased to 10,871 votes.
At the same time, observers reported new violations. The CEC received four official complaints, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska reported 13 possible incidents at polling stations recorded before 15:00. Most of them concerned alleged bribery of voters. According to dpa, there were also cases of pressure on citizens.
Karan is considered a close associate of Milorad Dodik, who was previously removed from office as president of the Republika Srpska. Dodik was removed after being convicted of enacting laws that prohibited the implementation of decisions by the High Representative of the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although he was not eligible to run for office, Dodik, according to experts, retains significant informal influence over political processes in the region.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with the 1995 Dayton Accords, consists of two semi-autonomous entities, the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are linked by a weak central government. About a third of the country's 3.5 million people live in the Republika Srpska, which covers almost half of the country's territory.
