Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
According to preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission (CIK), more than 90 per cent of votes had been counted.
In the race for the Bosniak member of the Presidency Council, Becirovic received 38.11 per cent of the vote, ahead of Bakir Izetbegovic on 33.95 per cent, Semir Efendic on 25.79 per cent, and Fahrudin Radoncic on 2.15 per cent.
Becirovic, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate backed by 14 political parties under the “United for the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina” bloc, thanked voters for their support.
“A free, anti-fascist, and civil Bosnia and Herzegovina lives on,” he said after declaring victory.
Becirovic also said Bosnia and Herzegovina should maintain its current foreign policy direction, adding that the country would continue on its path towards European Union and NATO integration.
He said he would not celebrate his victory, citing the difficult living conditions faced by many citizens and describing the campaign as the longest and most difficult he had experienced.
Izetbegovic, leader of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), acknowledged defeat. While conceding that he had failed to win the presidency seat, he argued that the SDA had improved its performance compared with the 2022 elections.
“What matters is that the SDA has won,” Izetbegovic said, adding that his personal result had lagged behind the party's overall performance and would require further analysis.
Efendic said the key priority after the election would be forming a more effective government and stressed that final results should be awaited. He added that his Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina was closer to opposition parties regarding potential coalition arrangements.
The Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) candidate Darijana Filipovic won the Croat seat on the Presidency Council with 48.19 per cent of the vote.
Democratic Front (DF) candidate Slaven Kovacevic received 28.79 per cent, while independent candidate Zdenko Lucic secured 23.02 per cent.
Following the announcement of the preliminary results, Filipovic congratulated the other members of the Presidency Council and said she hoped their cooperation over the next four years would demonstrate how Bosnia and Herzegovina's institutions can function effectively.
She also described Bosnia and Herzegovina as her homeland and expressed pride in both the election result and the campaign.
The Serb seat on the Presidency Council was won by Zeljka Cvijanovic, candidate of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), the party led by Milorad Dodik, the removed president of Republika Srpska (RS).
Cvijanovic received 55.33 per cent of the vote, ahead of Marinko Bozovic of the Serbian Democratic Party on 26.55 per cent and Nebojsa Vukanovic of the Justice and Order Party on 18.11 per cent.
Thanking voters and party activists after the vote, Cvijanovic said the victory belonged to the SNSD under Dodik's leadership.
“Our policy is a stable and strong Republika Srpska,” she said.
In the race for the presidency of Republika Srpska, SNSD candidate Savo Minic is projected to win with 52.04 per cent of the vote.
In elections for the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the SDA emerged as the leading party in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) with 31.57 per cent of the vote.
In Republika Srpska, the SNSD won the parliamentary contest with 40.94 per cent.
Alongside the state-level presidency and parliament elections, voters selected representatives for the parliaments of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, as well as assemblies in the Federation's 10 cantons.
The Bosniak and Croat members of the Presidency Council were elected by voters in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the Serb member was elected by voters in Republika Srpska.
The Central Election Commission reported voter turnout of 41.5 per cent.
Citizens across the country voted not only for members of the Presidency Council and the state parliament, but also for entity-level legislatures and other regional institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina's complex political system.
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