Denis Bećirović, Darijana Filipović and Željka Cvijanović are leading the three races for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite Presidency following Sunday’s general election, according to preliminary results from the country’s Central Election Commission.
The latest official results remain preliminary, with 4,893 of 5,122 polling stations, or 95.52%, received in the nationwide count as of Monday morning. Ballots from several other voting categories have also yet to be fully incorporated into the results.
Voters went to the polls on October 4 to elect the three members of the Presidency, representatives in the state and entity parliaments, and the president and vice presidents of Republika Srpska.
In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, results had been processed from 3,060 of 3,177 polling stations, or 96.31%, in the races for the Bosniak and Croat members of the Presidency.
Bećirović had 211,489 votes in the race for the Bosniak seat, ahead of Bakir Izetbegović with 167,795. Semir Efendić followed with 141,215 votes, while Fahrudin Radončić had 11,632.
Bećirović, Filipović and Cvijanović ahead in Presidency races
In the contest for the Croat member of the Presidency, Filipović was leading with 129,158 votes. Slaven Kovačević had received 71,568 votes, while Zdenko Lučić had 29,754, according to the latest preliminary figures.
The count for the Serb member of the Presidency was slightly less advanced, with 1,944 of 2,082 polling stations, or 92.27%, processed.
Cvijanović was leading that race with 288,605 votes. Marinko Božović followed with 138,809, while Nebojša Vukanović had received 94,174 votes.
The figures indicate clear leads in all three Presidency contests, but the Central Election Commission has not yet published final certified results. Votes from remaining polling stations and other categories could still change the totals.
The election was also the first general election in Bosnia and Herzegovina to make widespread use of biometric voter identification and ballot scanners.
SNSD leads in Republika Srpska as Minić heads presidential race
In Republika Srpska, Savo Minić of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, or SNSD, was leading the race for entity president with 52.16% of the vote, while Branko Blanuša had 41.80%, according to preliminary results reported Monday morning.
SNSD was also ahead in the election for the National Assembly of Republika Srpska with 38.95% of the vote. The Pokret Sigurna Srpska list led by Draško Stanivuković followed with 14.07%, while the Serbian Democratic Party, or SDS, had 12.14%.
For Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state-level House of Representatives, preliminary results showed different parties leading in the country’s two entities. SDA held the largest share of votes from the Federation in the earlier CEC count, while SNSD led among votes cast in Republika Srpska.
The parliamentary results will determine the distribution of seats and play a central role in negotiations over the formation of governments at different levels of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s complex political system.
The Central Election Commission has stressed that the current figures are not final. In the Presidency results published Monday morning, votes from regular polling stations had been included, while categories including postal ballots, mobile teams, diplomatic missions and confirmed ballots had not yet been added to that snapshot.
The commission will continue updating the count before publishing and certifying the final election results.
