Bosnian Serb separatist leader Dodik declares victory in Bosnia’s election after campaign marked by ethnic tensions

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian Serb separatist leader Dodik declares victory in Bosnia’s election after campaign marked by ethnic tensions. SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik has declared victory for his party in an election in Bosnia on Sunday that was shaped by economic pressures, the prospect of the Balkan nation joining the European Union, and ethnic tensions that have divided the country since its brutal 1992-95 war.Dodik is a staunchly pro-Russia politician who, despite not appearing on the ballot, has dominated the campaign and inflamed divisions with separatist rhetoric that have sparked fears of renewed instability in Bosnia.Formerly the president of the country's Serb-majority entity of Republika Srpska, Dodik was banned from holding public office after being convicted last year of defying decisions by the international envoy overseeing the 1995 peace agreement that ended the war.With nearly 90% of votes counted, Dodik's ally Zeljka Cvijanovic of the right-wing Alliance of Independent Social Democrats had more than 55% of votes to take one of the three seats in the country's tripartite presidency, leading her nearest opponent by around 30 percentage points.Speaking at a news conference late Sunday, Dodik said his nationalist party would also hold a “vast majority” in Republika Srpska's assembly, and credited U.S. President Donald Trump's “magnificent victory” in 2024 and Russian President Vladimir Putin's support for the election win.“No one should ask us to change our politics,” Dodik said.

"We will not give up, but continue for our people ... I cannot believe that we smashed it like this.”Election marked by low turnoutAround 3.4 million voters were eligible to choose the three members of the country's multi-ethnic presidency, lawmakers for the national parliament, and heads of institutions for the country's two entities: the Muslim-majority Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Republika Srpska, which is dominated by ethnic Serbs.With over 94% of votes counted on Sunday, Darijana Filipovic of the nationalist Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina held a commanding lead for the Croat seat on the presidency, while incumbent Bosniak member of the presidency Denis Becirovic of the Social Democratic Party led his nearest opponent, Bakir Izetbegovic, by fewer than three percentage points.Both Filipovic and Becirovic declared victory in their races late Sunday before all votes were counted.Bosnia's Central Election Commission …