Voters in Bosnia’s Serb Republic cast ballots for a new president in a snap election on Sunday (23 November), called after former leader Milorad Dodik was removed and barred from politics.

The result is expected to show whether the Serb Republic will move away from Dodik’s nationalist agenda or continue separatist policies that have strained Bosnia’s internal cohesion.

Dodik, described as a pro-Russian separatist, was convicted in February of defying the constitutional court and an international peace envoy. The case triggered what Reuters called Bosnia’s biggest political crisis since the war ended 30 years ago.

The verdict was later upheld by an appeals council and the constitutional court. In October, Dodik unexpectedly appointed a loyal ally as his temporary replacement.

Six candidates are running, with two described as frontrunners. Sinisa Karan of the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats and Branko Blanusa of the Serb Democratic Party. The mandate will last less than a year because a general election is scheduled for next October.

Karan’s campaign message stresses loyalty to Dodik. His posters show both men smiling, and he argues that a vote for him is effectively a vote for Dodik. He currently serves as minister of scientific and technological development in the Serb Republic.

Blanusa, a university professor and new political figure, is backed by most Serb opposition parties. He says he will fight corruption and what he calls “state capture” of resources in the region.

Many people casting their ballots early in Banja Luka said they did not expect real change.

One voter said the public had been left on its own.

“There is nothing to be expected,” Bozidar Knezevic said, adding, “We are left to manage on our own.”

Although the presidency of the Serb Republic is largely ceremonial, Dodik - who has held top roles for most of the past 25 years - had assumed executive control during his periods in office.

Postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina is split between the Serb Republic and the Federation shared by Croats and Bosniaks. The two regions are linked through a central government with limited powers.

More than 1.2 million people are eligible to vote, with preliminary results expected after polls close at 18:00 GMT.

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