The Bosnian electoral commission has ordered a recount of ballots at dozens of polling stations due to allegations of fraud following elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb entity, Republika Srpska.
The early elections were marked by a low voter turnout of 35.5 %. According to preliminary results, Sinisa Karan, supported by former president Milorad Dodik and the ruling coalition, secured 50.39% of the approximately 450,000 cast votes, while Branko Blanusa, backed by opposition parties, received 48.22%.
The margin between the two candidates is less than 10,000 votes.
Opposition parties accuse the ruling coalition in Republika Srpska of fraud in more than 100 polling stations, claiming that the disputed votes influenced the election outcome. Milorad Dodik, removed from office earlier this year, denies these allegations.
The electoral commission has called for ballots to be recounted at 51 polling stations, mainly in Zvornik in the east and Doboj and Laktasi in the north. These cities have tens of thousands of registered voters each.
This is the third recount ordered since the 23 November elections. It involves nearly 80 out of over 2,100 polling stations.
The commission also reported suspected violations of election rules in around 20 municipalities, including several larger cities.
