The Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced today at 3 pm the new results of the Local Elections, after processing 94.35 percent of polling stations, that is, 4,725 out of a total of 5,008. The latest data show that there are no significant changes compared to yesterday’s results, and the mayor’s and mayor’s positions mostly remain unchanged.
In the municipality of Novo Sarajevo, Benjamina Karić, the Troika candidate, maintains the lead with 42.23 percent (10,444 votes), while her main opponent, Muamer Bandić from the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH), has 40.37 percent (9,986 votes).
The Troika successfully defends its positions in the municipalities of Stari Grad and Centar. In Stari Grad, Irfan Čengić (SDP) leads with 7,476 votes, surpassing the candidate of the Democratic Action Party (SDA), who collected 4,139 votes. In the municipality of Centar, Srđan Mandić (Our Party) leads with 9,721 votes, while Dennis Gratz from the Democratic Front (DF) lags behind with 5,217 votes.
SDP maintains its dominance in Tuzla, where Zijad Lugavić won 29,558 votes (75.63 percent), thus confirming the victory of this party in that city.
In Zenica, Fuad Kasumović from the Bosnia and Herzegovina Initiative – Fuad Kasumović is leading with 17,483 votes, while his opponent from the SDA, Spahija Kozlić, is behind with 14,772 votes. However, Zenički GIP requests the permission of SIP for a recount from 12 polling stations for the mayor, which should not bring major changes in the number of votes.
As for Mostar, the current mayor Mario Kordić (HDZ) leads with 10,643 votes on the City List, while his opponent Đani Rahimić from SDA has 8,306 votes.
According to unofficial information so far, HDZ BiH could win 15 mandates in the City Council. The Croatian Republican Party (HRS) will retain its three mandates, while the new political entity, Croatian List for the South, as well as HDZ 1990, will each have one mandate. In this way, parties with a Croatian sign would have enough hands in the City Council of Mostar and a secure mayor.
HDZ BiH also dominates in municipalities with a Croatian majority, including Neum, Ravno, Capljina, Stolac, Ljubuški, Široki Brijeg, Grude, Posušje, Kupres, Livno, Vitez, Novi Travnik, Usora, Domaljevac, Orašje and Odžak.
However, in the municipality of Žepče, HDZ BiH lost the position of mayor in a close fight. SDA candidate Suvad Hadžić leads with 4,764 votes, while Mato Zovko from HDZ BiH has 4,434 votes. Dragan Čović, the president of the HDZ BiH, attributed this failure to the opposition Croatian bloc, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDS), which, according to him, “pulled away” about two thousand votes, thereby helping the SDA.
On the other hand, in Tomislavgrad, the candidate of the Croatian National Movement (HNP), Ivan Buntić, won the election for mayor, while Zdravko Marošević was elected mayor of Vareš, as a candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDS). In the municipality of Prozor-Rama, Jozo Ivančević remains the mayor, where he has been in opposition to HDZ BiH for years.
When it comes to Brčko, where the mayor is elected by the representatives in the Assembly, the SNSD-SPS has the advantage with 4,801 votes, while the SDA won 4,552 votes. However, a recount of votes from 22 polling stations in Brčko District is requested because it was observed that some candidates won more votes than the political entity that nominated them.
In Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) achieved significant victories in 70 percent of municipalities and cities. According to Radovan Kovačević, president of the SNSD election staff, their candidates won in 45 municipalities and cities.
However, despite these successes, SNSD failed to win the mayoral position in Banja Luka, where Draško Stanivuković, the candidate of the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP), leads with 50,758 votes. His main opponent, Nikola Šobot, collected 36,791 votes, while Jelena Trivić from the People’s Front won 13,407 votes.
For the Assembly of Banja Luka, SNSD recorded the highest number of votes, 32,187 to be exact, while PDP received 20,871 votes.
In Srebrenica, SNSD’s candidate Miloš Vučić won convincingly with 4,250 votes, while his opponent Hamdija Fejzić currently has 1,323 votes.
Bugojno was also the scene of a close race, where SDA lost the mayor’s position by 54 votes. Troika’s candidate, Edin Mašić, won 6,137 votes, while his opponent from SDA, Mirza Idrizović, won 6,083 votes.
On the other hand, the SDP lost one of its key political strongholds, the Ključ municipality, where the SDA candidate Jasmin Musić won, BHRT writes.
