The Central Election Commission (CEC) has ordered a recount of votes from the recent presidential election in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Republika Srpska (RS) entity today at some, but not all, polling stations where the opposition and independent election observers reported irregularities that could affect the final election result.
The candidate of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Sinisa Karan, was elected president of the Republika Srpska in the November 23rd elections, with the difference between him and the opposition candidate Branko Blanusa being less than two percentage points. The total difference in votes is just over 8.000 in Karan's favor.
A recount will be held on December 2nd at only a few polling stations in Zvornik, Banja Luka and Laktaši, but not in Doboj, where irregularities were also reported. The recount begins this afternoon, according to the CEC decision.
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Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TI BiH) asked the CEC on November 27 to investigate suspicions of electoral fraud in the early elections for the president of the RS.
They claim that data from numerous polling stations calls into question the integrity of the entire election process, as "there are about 40 polling stations whose results raise particular suspicion, totaling a difference of more than 8.500 votes." This, they emphasize, is enough to influence the final outcome of the election.
Transparency BiH states that polling stations with disputed voting results are mainly located in Doboj, Laktaši and Zvornik and reported unusually high turnout compared to the average, in some cases over 80 or even 90 percent.
"In most disputed locations, the ruling coalition candidate won more than 80 percent, and in some over 97 percent. The Doboj - Opsine polling stations stand out in particular, where turnout exceeded 90 percent, and Doboj - Majevac with 80 percent - in both cases the opposition candidate received only five votes," TI BiH stated.
In order to find an extract from the Central Voters' Register, the Central Election Commission of BiH ordered the Main Counting Center to open bags with voting materials on November 2nd, for one polling station each in Gradiška, Brčko District and Bijeljina.
The elections for the new president of the RS were held several months after the presidential mandate was revoked from Milorad Dodik, who was sentenced to a ban on holding public office and a prison sentence, which he bought off, for disrespecting the decisions of the High Representative.
Analysts and election observers pointed to an unusually high number of invalid ballots, as well as irregularities, which may have influenced the final election result.
"Our estimates show that Blanusa should have had a lead of 10.000 to 11.000 votes," Jovica Radulovic, acting president of the opposition Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), told Radio Free Europe on November 24, the day after the election.
He said that their candidate was "damaged by at least 15.000 votes."
Radulović stated that the party's observers recorded pressure from mobile teams on voters, voter abuse and signature forgery, and illogical differences in results in certain polling stations.
"For example, in two different classrooms in the same school you have an incredible difference, that in one professor Blanusa wins, and in the other classroom he wins almost nothing. Such differences are mathematically and logically impossible," claims Radulović.
This party demanded a repeat of the elections in Laktaši, Doboj and Zvornik, which they claim are the places with the "most irregularities observed".
On the other hand, SNSD President Milorad Dodik rejected the possibility of a repeat election.
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