Dodik Announces Local Elections Win, Run for Presidential Re-Election

Milorad Dodik (Photo: HINA/FENA/Hazim Aljovic)

Republika Srpska President and Alliance of Social Democrats leader Milorad Dodik has declared his party’s decisive victory in the Oct. 6 local elections of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Speaking to journalists at the Alliance’s campaign headquarters several hours after poll stations closed, Dodik announced that his party independently “won 47 of 63 local communities” in Srpska. They also took four Srpska municipalities in coalition with other parties – Brod, Sokolac, Ugljevik and Bilece, he said, and two municipalities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Glamoc and Drvar.

According to the ballots counted so far, the Alliance of Social Democrats has secured 310,000 votes, which translates to 54.3 percent.

“A thank you to our citizenry for demonstrating democratic maturity. I’m proud of the campaign, which was flawless, [enabling] the candidates to show themselves in the best possible way,” Dodik stated, adding that, “on the heels of this great victory in Republika Srpska” he is announcing his candidacy for re-election at Srpska’s next general elections, to be held in two years.