Branko Blanuša is the candidate of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), the largest opposition party in Republika Srpska (RS), for president of RS in the early elections scheduled for November 23rd.
This was decided by the SDS Main Board at a session in Banja Luka on September 28, Aleksandra Pandurević, from this political party, confirmed to Radio Free Europe.
The decision, she said, was made unanimously.
Blanuša is a member of the Serbian Democratic Party in the Banja Luka City Council.
The main opposition parties in Republika Srpska remain of the view that they want to come out together with one candidate, which should be nominated by the Serbian Democratic Party, which among them has the most deputies in the entity assembly.
Only the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP), led by Banja Luka Mayor Draško Stanivuković, did not declare its support.
RS has not had a president since August 18, when the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) confirmed the removal of Milorad Dodik's mandate, after upholding his final verdict of one year in prison and a six-year ban on holding public office for disobeying the High Representative's decisions.
From September 25th to September 29th, political parties will be able to register for early elections for the president of the RS from among the Serb people.
Coalitions will be able to register on October 6th and 7th, and presidential candidates have a deadline from October 10th to 14th.
The election campaign will last from November 8th to 22nd.
Early elections in this BiH entity will cost around 3,3 million euros, and the money has been provided by the state ministry of finance.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of BiH has made a decision on procurement for early elections, which concerns the rental of necessary electronic equipment, printing of election materials, and the rental of office space where the Main Counting Center will be located.
The CEC announced the elections for August 25th.
Incidentally, the Republika Srpska Assembly adopted a conclusion on September 24th calling on political parties in that entity to independently decide whether to participate in early presidential elections.
This changed the conclusions adopted at the session on August 22, which called on Dodik to continue holding the presidential office and rejected the possibility of holding early elections called by the CEC of BiH.
The President of the RS has significant constitutional and legal powers, including the right to nominate the Prime Minister, convene Government sessions, nominate members of the Constitutional Court, and dismiss the Prime Minister without a vote in the entity assembly.
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