Dodik's Ally Wins Republika Srpska Presidential Election

The opposition will file allegations of irregularities and rerun elections in three cities.

The ruling Republika Srpska (Serb-majority entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH) "Union of Independent Social Democrats" (SNSD) has announced the victory of its candidate Sinisa Karan in early presidential elections, reports Dnevni Avaz.

Karan is a former interior minister and ally of former president Milorad Dodik, whose mandate was revoked in August. Dodik, however, remains head of the SNSD.

With 92% of the votes counted, Karan has a 12,000-vote lead over his main rival, opposition Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) candidate Branko Blanush.

The opposition has announced it will file allegations of irregularities and rerun elections in three cities.

In August, BiH's central election commission stripped the mandate of President Dodik, who had previously been convicted of non-compliance with a decision by the high representative for BiH, Christian Schmidt, overseeing the Dayton Accords (they halted the 1992-1995 war, creating modern Bosnia and Herzegovina; Republika Srpska was proclaimed by Bosnian Serb leaders in 1992 and officially became part of postwar BiH).

The court sentenced Dodik to one year in prison (which he avoided by posting bail) and banned him from participating in political activities for six years. The second defendant in the case was the head of Republika Srpska's Official Gazette, Milos Lukic, who was exonerated by the court.

According to the prosecution's conclusion, Dodik and Lukic continued their legislative activities in defiance of the international representative's instruction. Two days after the verdict was announced, the prosecutor's office demanded the arrest not only of the president of the autonomy, but also of Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic and the president of the National Assembly (the highest legislative and constitutional body, analogous to the parliament) Nenad Stevandic.

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