Overview
- Polls opened at 6:00 GMT and close 12 hours later as voters in Bosnia’s Serb entity choose a successor to Milorad Dodik.
- Six candidates are on the ballot, with Dodik ally Sinisa Karan, 63, favored over opposition-backed professor Branko Blanusa, 56.
- The presidency can appoint the prime minister and promulgate laws, but its authority is limited without a parliamentary majority and the mandate ends with October 2026 general elections.
- Dodik was convicted on appeal in August for defying the international High Representative, receiving a one-year sentence converted to fines and a six-year ban from public office, and the United States later lifted long-standing sanctions against him.
- Residents express resignation over politics and economic strain, while surveys suggest about half of young Bosnians intend to leave the country.